WILLMAR -- Two young men made their first court appearances Friday on multiple felony charges for allegedly kidnapping a teenager and stealing his car Thursday evening in the McDonald's parking lot.
Ricardo Cadena, 23, of Willmar, faces six felony charges, including kidnapping, false imprisonment, aggravated robbery, simple robbery, aiding in a motor vehicle theft and second-degree riot in Kandiyohi County District Court.
Unconditional bail was set at $75,000 with conditional bail at $10,000. Cadena's next appearance is June 1.
Danny Duron Jr., 17, of Willmar, faces five felony charges including kidnapping, false imprisonment, aggravated robbery, simple robbery, motor vehicle theft and a gross misdemeanor charge of third-degree riot. He was ordered held at Prairie Lakes Youth Programs and is scheduled for his next court appearance on Wednesday.
According to Willmar police, a 15-year-old boy was being held on charges of simple robbery, kidnapping, fifth-degree assault and motor vehicle theft at Prairie Lakes Youth Programs. Because of his age, the boy's case is not part of the public court record. Cases involving felony charges against 16- or 17-year-olds are public.
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Another teen, a 16-year-old boy, was released to his parents pending a fifth-degree assault charge.
According to the complaint against Cadena, multiple Willmar police officers were called around 11:20 p.m. Thursday to a fight in progress at the Willmar McDonald's parking lot. Officers were advised that a person involved had a handgun and the suspects were leaving the location.
Officers stopped a vehicle along First Street and Trott Avenue and identified Duron, Cadena, a 15-year-old and the alleged victim, who was a passenger. A handgun, determined to be a carbon-dioxide-powered pistol, was found under the front passenger seat.
Juvenile female witnesses told officers they had been talking with the alleged victim and another male juvenile in the McDonald's parking lot when four of five Hispanic males came up to them and confronted one of the boys about starting their sister's hair on fire. The one boy ran away, while the other, the teen located in the vehicle, was assaulted by the group. The girls said they saw one of the Hispanic males with a pistol in his hand and concealed behind his back.
The girls said the group pushed the boy into the car's passenger seat, got into the car themselves and drove away. They later indentified Duron and the 15-year-old as the people who punched the boy, the 16-year-old as the one who chased the boy and Cadena as the person in possession of the handgun.
Other officers located the boy, who confirmed the allegations about starting a sister's hair on fire. He said he had been hit in the face and stomach and that he had been forced to go with the group of males and was very afraid.
Cadena, when interviewed by an officer, claimed they just went for a ride in a "white boy's" vehicle. He denied that the gun was his or was in the vehicle and denied that they were going to do anything with the boy.
Duron claimed the boy had tried to light his sister's hair on fire and that the group had confronted him about it. He claimed the boy gave him the keys to the car and that they were going to drive around and talk about what happened. He denied any physical altercation.
