Man sentenced to 19 years in kidnapping case

SEATTLE — A man who fled to Mexico during a kidnapping investigation in 1995 and was arrested when he returned to the United States in December, has been sentenced to 19 years in prison.

Sisto Molina, 47, formerly of Pasco, one of four men linked by investigators to the two-week abduction, was sentenced late last week by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour.

The others — Francisco Rodriguez, Jorge Perez Garza and Javier Ochoa, also known as Javier Pena — were sentenced in 1995 to prison terms ranging from 14 years to 16 years and seven months. Ochoa pleaded guilty one day into a trial and the other two were convicted by a jury.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

During that trial, the victim’s brother testified that Molina and his brother, Alfonso Molina, was trying to obtain money for cocaine that the four had supplied to him. Alfonso Molina pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison.

Molina was arrested last December at the airport in Tucson, Ariz., shortly after he arrived on a flight from Mexico.

Five men arrested with teen-age girl: Five Seattle-area men have been arrested after being found in a motel room with a teen-age girl after police were told a naked woman had been chased through the parking lot. Four men from Kirkland and one from Kenmore, ranging in age from 18 to 20, were booked into the Kittitas County Jail for investigation of second-degree rape, possession of alcohol by minors and providing liquor to a minor, police Capt. Ross Green said. One was also being held for investigation for marijuana possession, a jail official said. Two Kirkland men posted bail of $30,500 and $30,250, respectively. The other three remained in jail late Sunday. No information on the girl’s condition was available late Sunday. According to Green, about 3 a.m. Sunday, a witness reported hearing a woman screaming and seeing a naked woman being chased by several men through the parking lot of the Thunderbird Motel and Restaurant. When officers arrived, a witness directed them to a room in which they found the five men and the girl. Officers concluded the girl had been assaulted. Green said the case remained under investigation.

Orthopedic doctors turn away from hospital: Children who get seriously injured on weekends in the Tacoma region could be forced to travel to Seattle for surgery on broken bones. Most of Tacoma’s orthopedic surgeons have severed their ties with Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Health Center, a regional trauma center that treats patients as far away as Grays Harbor and Yakima. The surgeons, who repair mangled or deformed bones and joints, say their schedules have become overloaded since a new trauma system for adults was launched in Tacoma a year ago. Mary Bridge now has no orthopedists on call half the time — mainly nights and weekends — to help treat emergency-room patients, said Dr. Ted Walkley, Mary Bridge medical director. Administrators say the defections could imperil the hospital’s trauma program, which treats youngsters from 13 counties. "That would mean every single seriously injured child would have to leave the community and be cared for in Seattle," Walkley said.

Two hurt as deck collapses: A deck collapsed under the weight of about 100 people during a large house party, and two were hospitalized, police said. Constable Ed Pearce said officers were told shortly after 10:30 p.m. Saturday that a wooden deck had buckled, plunging some partygoers 13 feet to the ground. "The glass shattered and there were lacerations to a number of the guests who fell," Pearce said. "The party was not out of control," he added. "The house wasn’t getting trashed or anything like that." One party guest was treated at the scene for minor injuries and two others were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police Sgt. Stewart Nowacki said. Owners of the home could not be reached for comment.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Students from Explorer Middle School gather Wednesday around a makeshift memorial for Emiliano “Emi” Munoz, who died Monday, May 5, after an electric bicycle accident in south Everett. (Aspen Anderson / The Herald)
Community and classmates mourn death of 13-year-old in bicycle accident

Emiliano “Emi” Munoz died from his injuries three days after colliding with a braided cable.

Danny Burgess, left, and Sandy Weakland, right, carefully pull out benthic organisms from sediment samples on Thursday, May 1, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Got Mud?’ Researchers monitor the health of the Puget Sound

For the next few weeks, the state’s marine monitoring team will collect sediment and organism samples across Puget Sound

Everett postal workers gather for a portrait to advertise the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County letter carriers prepare for food drive this Saturday

The largest single-day food drive in the country comes at an uncertain time for federal food bank funding.

Everett
Everett considers ordinance to require more apprentice labor

It would require apprentices to work 15% of the total labor hours for construction or renovation on most city projects over $1 million.

Snohomish County prosecutor Kara Van Slyck delivers closing statement during the trial of Christian Sayre at the Snohomish County Courthouse on Thursday, May 8, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Jury deliberations begin in the fourth trial of former Everett bar owner

Jury members deliberated for about 2 hours before Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Millie Judge sent them home until Monday.

Christian Sayre sits in the courtroom before the start of jury selection on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Christian Sayre timeline

FEBRUARY 2020 A woman reports a sexual assault by Sayre. Her sexual… Continue reading

Helion's 6th fusion prototype, Trenta, on display on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Helion celebrates smoother path to fusion energy site approval

Helion CEO applauds legislation signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson expected to streamline site selection process.

Everett Historic Theater owner Curtis Shriner inside the theater on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Historic Everett Theatre sale on horizon, future uncertain

With expected new ownership, events for July and August will be canceled. The schedule for the fall and beyond is unclear.

A “SAVE WETLANDS” poster is visible under an seat during a public hearing about Critical Area Regulations Update on ordinance 24-097 on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County Council passes controversial critical habitat ordinance

People testified for nearly two hours, with most speaking in opposition to the new Critical Areas Regulation.

An apartment building under construction in Olympia, Washington in January 2025. (Photo by Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard)
Next stop for Washington housing: More construction near transit

Noticed apartment buildings cropping up next to bus and light rail stations?… Continue reading

Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero / Washington State Standard
Lt Gov. Denny Heck presiding over the Senate floor on April 27.
Washington tries to maintain B.C. ties amid Trump era tensions

Lt. Gov. Denny Heck and others traveled to Victoria to set up an interparliamentary exchange with British Columbia, and make clear they’re not aligned with the president’s policies or rhetoric.

Marysville
Marysville talks middle housing at open house

City planning staff say they want a ‘soft landing’ to limit the impacts of new state housing laws. But they don’t expect their approach to slow development.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.