California Couple Abducts Handyman, Forces Him to Do Home Repairs

Authorities in San Jose, California, say two local residents kidnapped a handyman and held him hostage for several hours, forcing him to repair various things around their house.

36-year-old Jason DeJesus and 33-year-old Chanelle Troedson were arrested this week and charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment, and assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly luring the unidentified handyman to their Morgan Hill home, beating him up, and then threatening to harm him further if he didn't fix their broken appliances.

The man complied, and spent seven hours doing repair work on a dishwasher and a broken door.

A Santa Clara County Sheriff spokesperson said the handyman wasn't a random target, but had done unspecified work for DeJesus' mother in the past.

"The work wasn't performed to the likes of the suspect's relative at the time, and on top of that there was dispute over services rendered, the victim wasn't paid entirely," Sgt. Jose Cardoza told CBS San Francisco. "That kind of boiled over into what occurred last night."

After the handyman finished repairing their appliances, DeJesus and Troedson reportedly ordered him to drive them in his van to a relative's house for additional work.

On the way, they stopped at a Chevron station to buy gas, and the handyman managed to escape while his captors were inside the station picking up snacks. He bolted to a nearby residence and used the homeowner's phone to call the cops.

Officers arrived at the Chevron to find DeJesus and Troedson still in the snack aisle.

[screengrab via ABC7]