Fourth man charged in kidnapping case

EPHRATA - A fourth person is accused of driving a man from Moses Lake to Othello and attacking him.

Prosecutors charged Andre Z. Balderas, 29, of Moses Lake, with first-degree kidnapping and second-degree assault in Grant County Superior Court, according to court records.

Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz issued a $150,000 bench warrant for Balderas.

Balderas along with James L. Boyd, 23, of Fort Washington, Md., Brett L. Meier, 18, and Michael Meier, 16, both of Moses Lake, were reportedly with the victim at a Moses Lake residence, according to a Moses Lake police report. As they were driving south on state Route 17 in a Hummer, Balderas, the driver, reportedly asked for the victim's cellphone.

After the victim handed him the phone, the victim reported the atmosphere in the vehicle changed, according to the police report. After they arrived at a trailer in Othello, the five people went inside.

When they went inside, Boyd reportedly pulled out a chrome semi-automatic handgun and pointed it at the victim, saying, "I was a snitch and what did I snitch on," according to the police report. The victim allegedly told Boyd he didn't know what Boyd was talking about. Boyd and Balderas hit the victim, and the Meiers started kicking him.

When they reportedly finished attacking the man, they ordered him to take a shower and Boyd told him, he would kill the victim if he said anything, according to the police report. The Meiers brothers and Boyd reportedly drove the victim to the Moses Lake Sand Dunes, and started getting out of the car. When the victim was getting out of the Hummer, he allegedly hid beneath it and escaped, according to the police report. Boyd reportedly yelled for the victim, and when the men couldn't find him, they left.

Police reported the victim had contusions on his head, his eyes were black and blue and he had several bruises on his arms and body, according to the police report. The victim reported his jaw was broken in two places.

Boyd's arrest on Grand Drive triggered a lock down at Lakeview Terrace and Garden Heights elementary schools, Chief Moses Middle School and Moses Lake Christian Academy. Boyd reportedly denied the attack, according to the police report.