A couple hiking on the outskirts of Denver was accosted by an armed man who looped a leash around the woman’s neck in an apparent abduction attempt.
Sheriff’s deputies, called by another hiker, tased the kidnapper, and only then did the couple realize they knew him. He had been wearing a disguise.
The encounter began around 8 a.m. Friday near Fox Hollow Golf Course in the suburb of Lakewood, according to the Jefferson County sheriff’s office.
The couple was on the walking path when they came upon a man crouched down, apparently tying his shoe. As they passed him, he stood up and brandished a handgun. He ordered the woman to the ground and looped a nylon leash around her neck, then led her off the trail.
Another hiker witnessed the incident and called 911. Around the time deputies showed up, the husband was able to take the gun away, and the couple fled.
Deputies found the suspect in the area. When they confronted him, the man pulled a stun gun from his waistband. One deputy fired a shot; the man was not struck. A taser was then used to subdue him.
The man, Kerry Endsley, 73, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree kidnapping, felony menacing and violation of a restraining order.
The woman he had targeted obtained the restraining order because of a history of harassment by Endsley. The sheriff’s office said he had “altered his physical appearance” before accosting them on the trail.
CBS Denver said Endsley is a longtime real estate agent who specializes in multimillion-dollar homes and ranches in the hills west of Denver. By Saturday, his profile page had been removed from his company’s website.
The path where the crime occurred connects to a network of trails in Bear Creek Lake Park, near the Red Rocks Amphitheatre.