2008 Woodie Awards
Kidnap victim tells her story
Nissa Billmyer/Staff Writer
Issue date: 4/4/02 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
The chill and bluster of recent wind and snow no doubt make students wish for warmer days, especially those who went on spring break to somewhere warm just three weeks ago.
For one particular SCSU student, the memories of spring break are not that refreshing. Katie Soderdahl, 21, a sophomore majoring in political science, has a memory that isn't so pleasant.
While on spring break in Orlando, Fla., Soderdahl and her friend of two years, Rachel Felderman, 19, of Eden Prairie, were kidnapped, robbed and released.
"We had a perfect start to our vacation," Soderdahl said. "It was going great. We were pumped."
Eventually, their fun turned to chaos, fear and determination.
The trip was originally intended for Soderdahl and her mother. However, Soderdahl instead decided to take Felderman, who attends Normandale College in the Twin Cities.
After arriving in Florida on March 10 and getting settled in, both girls decided that the next day would be filled with lots of fun. The trip package was set up though Ramada Resorts, and there was a deal to go to Universal Studios.
After spending the day at Universal Studios, the girls decided they needed to enjoy the nightlife.
Along with two guys they met that day, Chad Matys, 25, of Pennsylvania and Jeremy Curley, 21, of Massachusetts, they went to a recommended hang out — Pleasure Island.
Once the group was done for the night, they went out to their car. No sooner had they gotten into the car, when a man opened the rear door and forced himself into the car at gun-point.
"Had he not had the gun pointed at anyone other than Rachel, I would have done things differently," Soderdahl said.
With a gun in Felderman's side, the man proceeded to order Soderdahl around.
"He was so stereotypical. Saying 'Drive. Do what I say.' The windows were fogged up," Soderdahl said. "When I saw the gun in Rachel's side I tried to get moving, slowly at first. What do I do? He picked the one person in the car I didn't want to hurt.
"We drove right past security. Everyone tried to talk to the guy, to bargain. Rachel was very scared, but she eventually calmed down.
"The guy was so reassuring that we wouldn't get hurt. He wanted to go to the boonies. But it's hard to believe a guy with a gun."
Eventually Soderdahl's self-determination kept her calm. She started to talk to him, sassing him back.
"I was so angry that this bastard thought he could do this," Soderdahl said. "What right do you have to do this to our lives? I was filled with anger that this person had control."
As they continued to drive, it became clear that the man was not alone. He was constantly on a radio to other people and this filled the four youths in the car with fear and uncertainty.
"It was obvious that he had people following," Soderdahl said.
Eventually they ended up in a parking lot in the middle of nowhere. Immediately, the doors opened.
Matys was yanked from the car and had his arms duct taped behind him. He also had his eyes covered with tape.
"And I can remember Rachel asking over all of this, 'What kind of gun is that?'" Soderdahl said. "While we were driving, Rachel kept asking all these questions, constantly asking why, asking about his kids."
When the robbers opened Soderdahl's door, she locked herself around the steering wheel with her arms and wouldn't move. The man told her to move but she refused. He then duct taped her to the steering wheel and covered her eyes with the tape.
"There's no way I'm getting out of the car, I thought," Soderdahl said. "He had a gun to my head. 'Get out! Get out!' he kept telling me. I kept talking about whatever. This annoyed him so he cut my purse off me and went after Rachel and threw her on the ground. He then duct taped the hell out of me. My ankles, my wrists. I licked my lips to get the tape off and kept talking."
Felderman, however, remained calm. Because of her friendliness they didn't seem to control her as much. They loosened her duct tape.
Eventually Soderdahl lost her patience.
"I yelled 'Shoot me' and Rachel was 'Don't shoot her,'" Soderdahl said.
At this point the kidnappers put the girls in the back seat and began to tell them what was going to happen. Soderdahl thought that things would be over and they could get help.
One of the robbers began driving and occasionally went off the road. When they eventually stopped, no one had the slightest idea of where they were.
Soderdahl and her friends were told to wait and count to 100 in order to let the robbers escape. But a woman who was one of the robbers came back and began interrogating the four friends.
The woman began to ask questions about their personal identification numbers, where their hotel was and where they were at the hotel. Soderdahl tried to lie about it all.
"I guess I'm a horrible liar," she said. "The woman could tell and it only angered her. I was very vague about everything. Then she said 'We have all of your info. If you try to go to the cops we'll hunt you down.'"
After the woman left, they heard the robbers' car pull away. But the vehicle became stuck in the sand.
One of the men then returned and used their victims' rental car to push the robbers' vehicle (which turned out to be a Jeep Cherokee) out of the sand. However, this only caused both vehicles to be stuck in the sand.
Everyone was then led into the woods, Soderdahl being carried because she was virtually mummified by duct tape.
"When they set us down I figured they would start with the guys, I was waiting for the shot and then what would I do?" Soderdahl recalled.
At that point the robbers decided to use Soderdahl's cell phone to call a tow truck using her AAA card. When the truck arrived, the robbers convinced the driver to take money under the table to pull them out and report that he found nothing when he arrived.
Once the cars were freed the robbers came back and drove their victims elsewhere. Matys was placed in the front seat. It was becoming light out and the group became paranoid that something dangerous could really happen as more people would be able to see.
At that point, the man driving the car stopped and left the car keys on the roof of the vehicle. Not wanting to wait a second longer, the four victims removed the duct tape. They realized that they were in a building complex.
After driving about two blocks, the four found a guard and sought his help to summon the police.
"They (the robbers) didn't leave anything. They took IDs, everything we had on us," Soderdahl said.
After spending all day in the police station and being up a total of 36 hours, the group was exhausted. However, the police took care of them.
Matys' parents were in town and picked him up at the police station. Soderdahl, Felderman and Curley returned to their hotel. The hotel management put them up for the night in a suite, gave them free food and free movies.
"I was really amazed at the way they (the police) treated us," Soderdahl said. "How kind they were, to get us back on track, our lives back. How quickly they caught them (the kidnappers). (I) definitely (have) a new respect for cops."
As for Soderdahl's rental car, the rental company wouldn't believe them.
"They thought we had destroyed the car," Soderdahl said. "There was sand in the engine, the tranny was shot and it was all dented. Of course it was also in forensics for awhile. The police were able to get us a new car and new flights home."
As for the criminals, two were apprehended the following day and the third turned himself in. They were identified as Valerie Lopez, 26, Carlos Irizarry, 23, and Angel Villanueva, 29. Both Lopez and Irizarry are charged with car jacking with a firearm, and kidnapping with a firearm. Villanueva is charged with car jacking with a firearm, kidnapping with a firearm, armed robbery and armed kidnapping.
All three are still in jail and being held without bond. It was identified that there were two handguns used in the robbery. Lopez was identified from bank ATM cameras as she used the stolen ATM cards. Lopez is also wanted on separate felony charges in Osceola County, Fla.
Some, but not all the stolen items have been recovered.
"I think these two ladies are mature beyond their years," said Jim Solomons, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office. "They seem like very, very brave young ladies. They had a little bit of luck to control the situation."
As for Soderdahl, she is continuing her education and smiling.
"You can't really expect it. We weren't alone. It just happened," she said. "I'm glad I conveyed how much they upset me. I'm not a vindictive person. As for the guilty, the tow truck thing — pure brilliance.
"It makes me feel really good that they're in jail and they're going to be there for a long time. You have no right to do this to my life."
Soderdahl and Felderman spent the rest of their vacation seeing other places in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, and also went on a short cruise.
"These people (the victims), you have to remember, number one, that they specifically had no control," Solomons said. "Second of which, (the robbers) had guns. You have to say they're lucky. You have no control over the future."
In another incident, the same style kidnapping and robbing of a record-store employee from Downtown Disney, George Whittenberg, 24, of Orlando, occurred the same night. The two are believed to have been committed by the same group.
Nissa Billmyer can be reached at: news@universitychronicle.com
For one particular SCSU student, the memories of spring break are not that refreshing. Katie Soderdahl, 21, a sophomore majoring in political science, has a memory that isn't so pleasant.
While on spring break in Orlando, Fla., Soderdahl and her friend of two years, Rachel Felderman, 19, of Eden Prairie, were kidnapped, robbed and released.
"We had a perfect start to our vacation," Soderdahl said. "It was going great. We were pumped."
Eventually, their fun turned to chaos, fear and determination.
The trip was originally intended for Soderdahl and her mother. However, Soderdahl instead decided to take Felderman, who attends Normandale College in the Twin Cities.
After arriving in Florida on March 10 and getting settled in, both girls decided that the next day would be filled with lots of fun. The trip package was set up though Ramada Resorts, and there was a deal to go to Universal Studios.
After spending the day at Universal Studios, the girls decided they needed to enjoy the nightlife.
Along with two guys they met that day, Chad Matys, 25, of Pennsylvania and Jeremy Curley, 21, of Massachusetts, they went to a recommended hang out — Pleasure Island.
Once the group was done for the night, they went out to their car. No sooner had they gotten into the car, when a man opened the rear door and forced himself into the car at gun-point.
"Had he not had the gun pointed at anyone other than Rachel, I would have done things differently," Soderdahl said.
With a gun in Felderman's side, the man proceeded to order Soderdahl around.
"He was so stereotypical. Saying 'Drive. Do what I say.' The windows were fogged up," Soderdahl said. "When I saw the gun in Rachel's side I tried to get moving, slowly at first. What do I do? He picked the one person in the car I didn't want to hurt.
"We drove right past security. Everyone tried to talk to the guy, to bargain. Rachel was very scared, but she eventually calmed down.
"The guy was so reassuring that we wouldn't get hurt. He wanted to go to the boonies. But it's hard to believe a guy with a gun."
Eventually Soderdahl's self-determination kept her calm. She started to talk to him, sassing him back.
"I was so angry that this bastard thought he could do this," Soderdahl said. "What right do you have to do this to our lives? I was filled with anger that this person had control."
As they continued to drive, it became clear that the man was not alone. He was constantly on a radio to other people and this filled the four youths in the car with fear and uncertainty.
"It was obvious that he had people following," Soderdahl said.
Eventually they ended up in a parking lot in the middle of nowhere. Immediately, the doors opened.
Matys was yanked from the car and had his arms duct taped behind him. He also had his eyes covered with tape.
"And I can remember Rachel asking over all of this, 'What kind of gun is that?'" Soderdahl said. "While we were driving, Rachel kept asking all these questions, constantly asking why, asking about his kids."
When the robbers opened Soderdahl's door, she locked herself around the steering wheel with her arms and wouldn't move. The man told her to move but she refused. He then duct taped her to the steering wheel and covered her eyes with the tape.
"There's no way I'm getting out of the car, I thought," Soderdahl said. "He had a gun to my head. 'Get out! Get out!' he kept telling me. I kept talking about whatever. This annoyed him so he cut my purse off me and went after Rachel and threw her on the ground. He then duct taped the hell out of me. My ankles, my wrists. I licked my lips to get the tape off and kept talking."
Felderman, however, remained calm. Because of her friendliness they didn't seem to control her as much. They loosened her duct tape.
Eventually Soderdahl lost her patience.
"I yelled 'Shoot me' and Rachel was 'Don't shoot her,'" Soderdahl said.
At this point the kidnappers put the girls in the back seat and began to tell them what was going to happen. Soderdahl thought that things would be over and they could get help.
One of the robbers began driving and occasionally went off the road. When they eventually stopped, no one had the slightest idea of where they were.
Soderdahl and her friends were told to wait and count to 100 in order to let the robbers escape. But a woman who was one of the robbers came back and began interrogating the four friends.
The woman began to ask questions about their personal identification numbers, where their hotel was and where they were at the hotel. Soderdahl tried to lie about it all.
"I guess I'm a horrible liar," she said. "The woman could tell and it only angered her. I was very vague about everything. Then she said 'We have all of your info. If you try to go to the cops we'll hunt you down.'"
After the woman left, they heard the robbers' car pull away. But the vehicle became stuck in the sand.
One of the men then returned and used their victims' rental car to push the robbers' vehicle (which turned out to be a Jeep Cherokee) out of the sand. However, this only caused both vehicles to be stuck in the sand.
Everyone was then led into the woods, Soderdahl being carried because she was virtually mummified by duct tape.
"When they set us down I figured they would start with the guys, I was waiting for the shot and then what would I do?" Soderdahl recalled.
At that point the robbers decided to use Soderdahl's cell phone to call a tow truck using her AAA card. When the truck arrived, the robbers convinced the driver to take money under the table to pull them out and report that he found nothing when he arrived.
Once the cars were freed the robbers came back and drove their victims elsewhere. Matys was placed in the front seat. It was becoming light out and the group became paranoid that something dangerous could really happen as more people would be able to see.
At that point, the man driving the car stopped and left the car keys on the roof of the vehicle. Not wanting to wait a second longer, the four victims removed the duct tape. They realized that they were in a building complex.
After driving about two blocks, the four found a guard and sought his help to summon the police.
"They (the robbers) didn't leave anything. They took IDs, everything we had on us," Soderdahl said.
After spending all day in the police station and being up a total of 36 hours, the group was exhausted. However, the police took care of them.
Matys' parents were in town and picked him up at the police station. Soderdahl, Felderman and Curley returned to their hotel. The hotel management put them up for the night in a suite, gave them free food and free movies.
"I was really amazed at the way they (the police) treated us," Soderdahl said. "How kind they were, to get us back on track, our lives back. How quickly they caught them (the kidnappers). (I) definitely (have) a new respect for cops."
As for Soderdahl's rental car, the rental company wouldn't believe them.
"They thought we had destroyed the car," Soderdahl said. "There was sand in the engine, the tranny was shot and it was all dented. Of course it was also in forensics for awhile. The police were able to get us a new car and new flights home."
As for the criminals, two were apprehended the following day and the third turned himself in. They were identified as Valerie Lopez, 26, Carlos Irizarry, 23, and Angel Villanueva, 29. Both Lopez and Irizarry are charged with car jacking with a firearm, and kidnapping with a firearm. Villanueva is charged with car jacking with a firearm, kidnapping with a firearm, armed robbery and armed kidnapping.
All three are still in jail and being held without bond. It was identified that there were two handguns used in the robbery. Lopez was identified from bank ATM cameras as she used the stolen ATM cards. Lopez is also wanted on separate felony charges in Osceola County, Fla.
Some, but not all the stolen items have been recovered.
"I think these two ladies are mature beyond their years," said Jim Solomons, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office. "They seem like very, very brave young ladies. They had a little bit of luck to control the situation."
As for Soderdahl, she is continuing her education and smiling.
"You can't really expect it. We weren't alone. It just happened," she said. "I'm glad I conveyed how much they upset me. I'm not a vindictive person. As for the guilty, the tow truck thing — pure brilliance.
"It makes me feel really good that they're in jail and they're going to be there for a long time. You have no right to do this to my life."
Soderdahl and Felderman spent the rest of their vacation seeing other places in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, and also went on a short cruise.
"These people (the victims), you have to remember, number one, that they specifically had no control," Solomons said. "Second of which, (the robbers) had guns. You have to say they're lucky. You have no control over the future."
In another incident, the same style kidnapping and robbing of a record-store employee from Downtown Disney, George Whittenberg, 24, of Orlando, occurred the same night. The two are believed to have been committed by the same group.
Nissa Billmyer can be reached at: news@universitychronicle.com