Group of 5 Detained After Attempted Kidnapping

Five people were arrested early Thursday in Novato after witnesses reported seeing a man dragged toward a van in the parking lot of a downtown motel, police said.

The suspects, whose hometowns were unlisted in a report by the Novato Police Department, face charges ranging from kidnapping to robbery and drug possession.

At about 2 a.m., police received an emergency call from America's Best Value Inn, just north of the Old Town in the 7600 block of Redwood Boulevard. Witnesses told investigators that they saw a group assaulting a man and attempting to drag him into a white van parked nearby. The suspects took off in the van but were later stopped a few miles south at the intersection of Alameda del Prado and Clay Court.

The man who was allegedly assaulted identified the suspects at the arrest location, and a search of the van yielded narcotics, burglary tools, stolen property and documents related to identity thefts.

Marin County Sheriff's deputies took part in the arrests, which were handled without incident, Sgt. Nick Frey said. 

The suspects were identified as Indugo Williams, 20; Myia Simmons, 23; Karen Jackson-Greer, 48; James Ahrenholz, 23; and Randy Martin, 24.

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