Published in the High Desert Advocate Newspaper in September 25th, 2020 Edition.
(L to R) Fred Banuelos, 37, and Adriana Hernandez Ramos, 33, both from West Wendover, Nevada were arrested for kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon(fist) (photo credit Elko County Sheriff’s Office
A West Wendover couple held a badly beaten woman for more than 24 hours because they believed Nevada’s domestic battery law would protect them from arrest, according to documents filed this month in a criminal complaint.
West Wendover police investigated the beating in August. According to a complaint filed Sept. 8, Fred Banuelos, 37, is accused of battery by striking the woman’s face with his fists and/or pounding her head against the ground.
Banuelos was arrested in August on charges of domestic battery with a deadly weapon and second-degree kidnapping. Adriana Hernandez Ramos, 33, was arrested this week for second-degree kidnapping.
Banuelos and Hernandez Ramos are both accused of holding the woman against her will for more than 24 hours and threatening to kill her or her family if she went to the police.
The woman told police that Hernandez Ramos was looking up the laws regarding domestic battery and telling Banuelos that after 24 hours he could not get arrested, an investigating officer reported.
Nevada’s mandatory arrest law requires a police officer to arrest anyone believed to have committed domestic battery within the preceding 24 hours; it does not preclude arresting them at a later date.
According to the complaint, Banuelos has two prior domestic violence convictions in Eastline Justice Court. The new battery charge and kidnapping charges are Category B felonies. His bail was listed at $157,280.
