Kidnapping Suspect Charged

Kidnapping suspect Matthew Ryan Cruise, 23, of Muldrow will take his first trip to district court Wednesday when he is arraigned on charges that he attempted to kidnap at 14-year-old girl in Muldrow on May 4. Cruise was picked up on a warrant for his arrest Friday, and he remains in the Sequoyah County Detention Center in Sallisaw where he is being held without bond. Muldrow Police Officer Brad Roberts investigated the case. He said the 14-year-old girl and three friends were walking home from the Muldrow Park on that Sunday, when, in the parking lot of a convenience store, Cruise allegedly came up to the girl and asked her if she smoked. She said no, but then Cruise allegedly grabbed her by the arm and tried to get her into a pickup truck parked in the store's lot. The girl got away from the suspect, and she and her friends ran away. The girl's parents called police. Roberts obtained photos of the pickup truck from surveillance cameras, and released them to the public. The photos led to the truck's owner, who said he had loaned the truck to another man. That driver, and a woman who was a passenger in the truck, were in the convenience store. The girl and one of her friends positively identified Cruise from a photo lineup, Roberts said. The officer said Cruise was arrested without incident Friday at his home north of Muldrow in the Northdale Estates. Stay tuned to KXMX for the latest news, or visit www.kxmx.com. By Sally Maxwell, Senior News Director