July 14, 2023 - Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office officials report that on July 10, 2023, Deputy Larson was working patrol in Salida, CA, when he conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for multiple vehicle code violations. One of the occupants in the vehicle seemed nervous and scared. Deputy Larson asked him to step out of the vehicle so he could speak with him alone. Once they were alone, the passenger disclosed he was being held hostage by the other occupants in the vehicle. The other occupants were immediately detained.

The victim told Deputy Larson he flew from Wisconsin to California due to business the night prior. When he arrived in Modesto, he met with Louis Ceballos, and they began driving around in Ceballos’ vehicle. Ceballos then drove the victim to a dead end in an unknown location in the County of Stanislaus. Once there, a second vehicle arrived at their location. This made the victim scared, so he ran out of the vehicle. Two men chased him down, caught him, and beat him. The men then asked him for money and jewelry, but the victim did not have either. The victim was then transported to another unknown location in Stanislaus County. At one point, he was tied up and beaten again. The victim’s family was contacted, asked for ransom money, and several thousand dollars were transferred electronically.

The victim was taken to Doctor’s Medical Center, where he was treated for his physical injuries that included bruising and a fractured nose. All of which he is expected to recover from fully. Since the investigation, the victim was able to fly back home and is now safe in his home state.

Jesus Vega Garcia, a 25-year-old resident out of Modesto, Luis Vega Garcia, a 21-year-old resident of Modesto, and Luis Arteaga Ceballos, a 21-year-old resident out of Modesto, were booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center for Kidnapping, False Imprisonment, Conspiracy, Extortion, and Battery with Serious Bodily Injury.  Jesus Vega and Luis Vega are being held on a $560,000 bond, and Luis Ceballos is being held on a $1,121,000 bond.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Source: Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office