Police Seeking Man in Kidnaping of Wife
Police have issued an arrest warrant for a man suspected of kidnaping his estranged wife from her Santa Monica office on Tuesday and holding her hostage at gunpoint.
According to police, the husband, Michael Howie, accompanied by two unidentified men, entered the offices of Family Media in the 3300 block of Ocean Park Boulevard about 10 a.m., grabbed employee Mari Payne and left with her. Santa Monica Police Sgt. Bill Brucker said that Family Media employees received a frantic phone call half an hour later from Payne, who said she was being held hostage at gunpoint by Howie, 30, of Woodland Hills.
Police officers and sheriff’s deputies were called to an apartment complex in Marina del Rey believed to be Payne’s home, but left hours later after Payne called her office to say she was OK.
Deputies then searched Payne’s apartment, fearing she had made the statement under duress, and found it empty. A search of Howie’s residence also turned up no one.
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