California man arrested in Utah for alleged kidnapping attempt

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A California man was arrested on I-15 near Point of the Mountain over the weekend after allegedly attempting to kidnap a woman.

Johny Efrain Sanchez Macha, 27, was charged with second-degree kidnapping and six counts of third-degree possession of false documents.

Police said Macha was coming to Utah from California to visit his girlfriend, who would become the victim of the alleged kidnapping. According to court documents, the two went to lunch and Walgreens before Macha continued on I-15 toward California.

“The victim asked if he would take her back to California. (Macha) said no, but continued driving. He did not stop or pull over to let the victim out,” court documents state.

According to court documents, the victim then began calling her family in tears, saying she was being taken to California and did not want to go.

Her family called police and gave a description of Macha’s car and the area it was located in. Police were then able to locate Macha and the victim near Timpanogas Highway on I-15. After a brief closure of several lanes on I-15, police were able to safely arrest Macha.

Police reportedly found three different permanent resident cards and three social security cards on Macha, which he allegedly admitted were fake. A Department of Homeland Security agent examined the cards and confirmed that all six documents were fake.

The Utah Highway Patrol confirmed that the investigation into the kidnapping is still ongoing.