Attorneys: Kidnapping was not a hoax

Attorneys representing a man being investigated for faking the kidnapping and ransom of Denise Huskins, his 30-year-old girlfriend, held a news conference Thursday  afternoon to say the crime is not a hoax.

Daniel Russo and Amy Morton, attorneys for Aaron Quinn, said their client was drugged and bound during the abduction, which took place between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. Monday morning.

Quinn has fully cooperated with the police investigation, according to his lawyers.

Russo said:

“What has been coming out makes him look like he’s somehow perpetrating a hoax and I want to make it clear to everyone that we have not seen evidence yet that this was some kind of hoax.”

Russo added:

“As to the victim and her failure to cooperate with police, we don’t know what that’s motivated by…And it’s unfair to speculate.”

Russo said he understands that there are significant pressures on the Vallejo Police Department and the FBI, but:

“There seems to be a stream of blatant lies coming out about our client, about the victim and about what’s going on.”

Russo said:

“God help us, but we want to rely on the FBI and the Vallejo Police Department to solve this crime.”

Wednesday night Vallejo police said that Huskins and Quinn had wasted the time and resources of the department, and that the two Vallejo residents owed police and the FBI an apology for sending them on a “wild goose chase.”

Lt. Kenny Park said:

“We have had over 40 police detectives at the local, state and federal levels, and over 100 support personnel assisting the investigation, working around the clock to help locate Ms. Hoskins.”

Park added:

“The fact that we’ve wasted all these resources is really upsetting…Mr. Quinn and Ms. Huskins owe this community an apology.”

When Quinn reported Huskins’ disappearance Monday afternoon, more than 8 hours after the supposed kidnapping, it triggered a massive search and rescue operation.

But the report was later called “hard to believe.”

Park said:

“We could not substantiate any of it.”

Wednesday morning police in Southern California announced via Twitter that Huskins had been found safe at a relative’s home in Huntington Beach.

Officials arranged a jet to fly her to Northern California, but they were unable to locate her, Park said Wednesday night.

Park added that they’ll refer the case for state or federal charges if sufficient information can be gathered.