Handyman: I was kidnapped over unfinished work

A Morgan Hill couple faces charges of kidnapping and false imprisonment after allegedly abducting a handyman and forcing him into the worst kind of torture: home repair.

About two months ago, the 50-year-old handyman did some repair work on a Santa Clara woman’s water heater. The job led to disagreements on who owed what to whom. According to Santa Clara County Sheriff Sgt. Jose Cardoza, the handyman was paid for parts but not for labor.

On Monday the handyman was invited to do some work at Jason DeJesus’ home, a relative of the handyman’s Santa Clara client. DeJesus lived in Morgan Hill with his girlfriend, Chanelle Troedson.

Sgt. Cardoza told the Merc:

“The victim knew he was going somewhere associated with the previous person, but he had no clue there would be trouble.”

But trouble there was. Police say the handyman was promptly punched in the face, and his attackers threatened to kill him. He was then repeatedly assaulted and forced into performing acts of minor home repair.

Eventually, the captors forced the handyman into his own car, telling him they were taking him back to finish the repairs in Santa Clara they claimed he hadn’t finished.

Luckily for the handyman, his abductors stopped for gas and munchies in San Jose, where the handyman was able to escape and call police. Police captured the couple as they were leaving the gas station.

The couple are being charged with kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, and a range of other criminal violations. Although the handyman’s attackers did not use what would traditionally be considered a deadly weapon, Cardoza explained that fists can be considered a deadly weapon if used repeatedly over a long period of time.

The couple has a court date schedule for Thursday.