Arrested Boot Camp Instructor to Return to Court Wednesday

A boot camp instructor who was arrested for the alleged kidnapping of a 14-year-old girl will return to court for a hearing on Wednesday, according

Monrovia resident Kelvin McFarland--who goes by the nickname "Sgt. Mac"--had an organization with an Altadena post office box address called Family 1st Growth Camp. The organization focused on intense exercise as a punishment for misbehavior.

McFarland was arrested on May 27 for allegedly handcuffing a 14-year-old girl who was skipping school and then attempting to extort money from her parents after bringing her home.

At his two-day preliminary hearing in July, prosecutors suggested that McFarland had a pattern of being intimidating and using physical force with his students, while the defense painted the whole incident as a misunderstanding and suggested that McFarland had received money from the girl's family as a down payment towards enrolling her in his program.

The Pasadena Star-News later that allegedly was Sgt. Mac's, though McFarland has denied any connection. The Pasadena Police Department has opened an investigation in that case but has not made any arrests and nobody has been charged.