Men Accused In Encinitas Attempted Kidnapping Plead Not Guilty

ENCINITAS, CA – The two men accused of trying to abduct an Encinitas teenager last week plead not guilty Tuesday to attempted kidnapping charges.

Christopher White, 27, and Jeremiah Owens, 28, were ordered held without bail by Superior Court Judge David Danielsen. They are accused of attempting to kidnap a 15-year-old girl July 26 near Grandview Surf Beach in Encinitas.

The attempted kidnapping happened around 5:30 p.m. in the 1600 block of Neptune Avenue, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. The teen told deputies she was waxing her surfboard in the driveway of her home when a man came up from behind her, pinned her to the ground and tried to drag her toward a pickup truck parked along Grandview Street, where another man was waiting inside.

The girl fought off her attacker and ran inside her home, officials said. She was not injured in the struggle.

The two men drove off in a blue older model pickup truck.

After receiving a tip from the public, officials located a pickup truck two days later that matched the vehicle description released by police following the kidnapping attempt, officials said. Following a brief pursuit, deputies pulled over, detained and arrested the driver, White, who was depicted in a sketch released by police.

Deputies later arrested Owens that same day at his home in Escondido.

Both men, who are from Escondido, face nine years in prison if convicted of attempted kidnapping for rape, assault with intent to commit rape, contact with a minor with the intent of committing a sexual offense and false imprisonment.

The judge scheduled a readiness conference for Aug. 10 at the Vista Courthouse, and a preliminary hearing on Aug. 15.

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