Crime & Safety

St. Clair Shores Man Kidnaps 'Estranged' Wife, Flees To Ohio: Police

Gabriel Charles Wagner, 52, peacefully surrendered to officers after a 12-hour standoff at an Ohio hotel room, police said.

ST. CLAIR SHORES, MI — A St. Clair Shores man was arrested Wednesday in Ohio after police said he kidnapped a woman and held her hostage in a hotel during a 12-hour standoff with officers.

Gabriel Charles Wagner, 52, was charged with false imprisonment, assault with intent to do great bodily harm and aggravated domestic violence. He was placed in the Hancock County Jail in Ohio. He may also face charges in Ohio, police said.

Police said Wagner attacked a 47-year-old man on the 5200 block of Pointe Drive in East China Township at 2:30 a.m. and forced his estranged wife into a black 2007 Honda Accord and left the area.

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After searching several St. Clair Shores homes, officers learned that Wagner took the woman to a hotel room in Ohio just off Interstate 75 about an hour south of Toledo, a news release from the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office said.

Officers peacefully convinced Wagner to end the 12-hour standoff and he released the woman to officers Wednesday night, officials said. She was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

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Officers peacefully arrested Wagner about an hour later, officials said.

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