Crime & Safety

Man, 19, Arrested on Suspicion of Holding Girl Against Her Will

Police make arrest at Wyndover Apartments on Sunday afternoon.

arrested a 19-year-old man in a downtown apartment complex Sunday who was a suspect in a case of false imprisonment and battery.

After receiving a call for suspected domestic violence, Jaime Ordonez-Cruz was detained at 5:12 p.m. at the s in the 800 block of Diablo Avenue, according to Novato police Sgt. Jennifer Welch.

Welch said a girl under the age of 18 said she was held against her will “for a brief amount of time” and the suspect prevented her from using her cell phone to contact someone while detained.

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Ordonez-Cruz faces a felony charge of false imprisonment with violence and misdemeanor charges of injury or damage to a wireless communication device and battery on a cohabitant or former spouse, according to the Marin County Jail booking log. He also was held on warrants for felony attempted burglary and misdemeanor charges of burglary and possession of drug paraphernalia.

His total bail was set at $30,000.

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The Wyndover Apartments have been the subject of public scrutiny over past year for being the complex most visited on police calls for service by Novato officers. Police have said calls to Wyndover account for about 1 percent of all calls for service in the city and that most of them are not of a violent nature, but citizen advocates have become harsh critics of the apartment management for not screening tenants well enough.

Wyndover installed a number of safety precautions in the past six months to help reduce crime and police visits, including the starting of a Neighborhood Watch group, installation of locks on some gates, new lighting in the parking area and a roving security guard at night.


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