Oak Harbor man accused of stalking, kidnapping

A 31-year-old Oak Harbor man accused of stalking a woman in Island County and kidnapping her in Skagit County is wanted on a $75,000 arrest warrant, according to court documents.

Court documents describe a series of incidents in which Jesus M. Angel violated a court order barring him from contacting his ex-girlfriend, culminating in a violent abduction in Mount Vernon on Jan. 10.

The Oak Harbor woman obtained a temporary protection order against Angel on Dec. 20; she accused him of continually threatening her, slapping her and spitting on her in front of their young children.

On Dec. 22, the victim reported to police that Angel had let himself into her house and woke her up at about 4 a.m. Angel asked her if she thought a court order would really keep him away; he stole her phone when he left, according to the police report.

On Dec. 30, Angel walked up to her at the Walmart and tried to talk to her, questioning her about who she was dating and saying he wanted to get back together, the police report states.

On Dec. 31, Angel called her, asking who she was dating, yelling at her and threatening that he had someone watching her home, a police report states.

Later that day, the woman called 911 to report that Angel was at her front door, jiggling the handle. The police did not find him.

On. Jan. 10, the woman reported to police that she was driving in Mount Vernon when she saw Angel drive past her. He did a U-turn and pursued her before “boxing her in” with his car, a police report on the case states.

Angel opened her car door reached in and took her keys. He yelled at her to get out of the car. When she refused, he punched and slapped her in the face until she began to bleed, the report states.

Fearing more violence, the woman got into Angel’s car and he refused to let her leave, threatening to assault her further. After about an hour, Angel let her leave after she promised to call him later.

Later that day, the woman called 911 to report that Angel showed up at the residence she had been staying at in Mount Vernon. Police responded and arrested Angel; a plastic bag of suspected methamphetamine was found with him, the officer wrote.

On Jan. 13, prosecutors charged Angel in Skagit County Superior Court with kidnapping in the first degree, assault in the fourth degree, violation of a no-contact order and assault in violation of a protection order.

The judge set Angel’s bail at $20,000, which he posted and was released from jail.

Prosecutors and the judge in Skagit County weren’t aware of the series of incidents in Island County when the bail was set since charges hadn’t been filed yet.

Island County Deputy Prosecutor Tamara Fundrella said she pieced together the different cases and charged Angel in Island County Jan. 16 with stalking, theft in the third degree and violation of a court order. The stalking charged was filed with an “aggravating circumstance,” which could allow a sentence beyond the standard range, and all the counts were charged as being domestic-violence-related.

The judge approved the $75,000 warrant of arrest.