Man kidnaps girl to get through Florida coronavirus checkpoint, police say

Victim identified Alexander Michael Sardinas from a photo lineup

Mr Sardinas in police custody ((Monroe County Sheriff's Department))

A man was arrested over the Memorial Day weekend, after he allegedly kidnapped a 17-year-old girl so that he and his female companion could get through a coronavirus checkpoint.

Alexander Michael Sardinas, and a woman, both from Florida, initially attempted to enter the Florida Keys in a rideshare taxi, according to the Monroe County Police Department.

The couple were attempting to get through the checkpoint and into the area, which has been closed to visitors since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Mr Sardinas, who is 37 years old, and the 43-year-old woman, were not carrying appropriate identification, and were turned away from the checkpoint.

After they left, they were given a courtesy ride by a police officer, who saw them arguing on the side of the road.

He dropped them off at a Publix shopping centre, where the couple saw a woman in a car, with plates for an area in the Keys.

The couple approached her, and Mr Sardinas allegedly told the girl that if she did not drive him and the woman across the checkpoint, he would hurt her.

The girl then drove them through the checkpoint, after showing an identification with a Florida Keys address, and dropped the man off at a petrol station and the woman at a pharmacy.

She then called a member of her family, who contacted the police.

The Monroe County police department confirmed that the couple were found at different locations in the Florida Keys, and both apparently admitted to being with the girl.

Additionally, the girl, who was unhurt in the incident, identified Mr Sardanis from a photo lineup.

Mr Sardanis was arrested and charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment, pending further charges.

Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a statement: “I am relieved this suspect is currently sitting in jail and the young victim in this case was not seriously hurt.”

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, there are now more than 1.6 million people who have tested positive for coronavirus in the US. The death toll has reached at least 98,371.