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Teen describes terror of attempted kidnapping as she waxed her surfboard

One defendant suggests other was brainwashed
Posted at 6:38 PM, Oct 04, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-05 09:16:03-04

VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) -- A preliminary hearing began Wednesday for two men accused of an attempted kidnapping in Encinitas in July.

Christopher White and Jeremiah Owens could face up to nine years in prison if convicted.

RELATED: Two suspects sought in attempted kidnapping of Encinitas 15-year-old girl

The victim was identified only as JD; she was poised and well-spoken as she testified.  She was 15 that day when she saw the two suspects, playing loud music in their truck.

She'd gone to a neighbor's house to retrieve her surfboard.

"I felt like they were watching me," she said. 

She started waxing the board; people walked by; she felt safe. Suddenly one of the men ran up and grabbed her by the back of the neck and tried to smash her face into the ground.

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The teen said she heard him say, "Alright, let's do this."

She kept yelling, "No! Stop!".

She said he tried to drag her to the truck; her adrenaline kicked in and she got away from him, saying, "That's not cool!  You can't do that!"

She locked herself in the neighbor's house and called for help; the truck speeding away.

Two audio tapes of police interrogations of White were played in court; White expressing surprise that his friend had run up and grabbed the girl; telling detectives that he yelled at him to stop.

That's counter to the victim's testimony that she heard the man at the truck urging him to "go in the house."

White also made comments to detectives about Owens being brainwashed by a co-worker; that Owens told him "Primal instinct came over me."

Judge Robert Kearney will decide if the pair should stand trial.