A tattoo artist previously convicted of attempted murder and his daughter have been charged with kidnapping a woman in Las Vegas at gunpoint and sexually assaulting her in Southern California, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Stanley Alfred Lawton, 55, and his 22-year-old daughter Shaniya Nicole Poche-Lawton allegedly dumped the 46-year-old woman in the desert, leaving her for dead a week after they had kidnapped her, off a highway near Edwards Air Force Base north of Los Angeles. She was found there by military personnel last month.
It was reported Tuesday that the pair appeared in court briefly, shielding their faces as family members stood in the gallery. Their arraignment was postponed to January.
Officials have said the woman was found cold and suffering from exposure and was lucky to be alive. No ransom was demanded for her release.
The father and daughter knew the victim, who they also forced to withdraw money from several ATMs, but authorities have not disclosed their motive. The felony complaint was filed Nov. 14. The duo is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Lawton is being held on $4.5 million bail and faces up to 260 years to life in prison. His daughter is being held on $3.5 million bail and faces more than 71 years to life behind bars, the district attorney's office said in a news release.
They each are charged with kidnapping to commit robbery, attempted murder, kidnapping from outside the state and forcible rape and three counts of first-degree ATM robbery.
News
Top news of the day
Lawton has prior convictions for attempted murder and robbery between 1984 and 1988, though the district attorney's office did not say where in its release.
It was not immediately clear who their attorneys were who could speak on their behalf.
