Submitted by Fox First at Ten on January 9th
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE KOOTENAI COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: On January 8, 2013 at about 4 PM, the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office responded to a reported kidnapping at the Coeur d'Alene Casino. When deputies arrived, they were told by Casino Security that a female, later identified asMargarita S. Yermola, 19-years-old from Spokane, WA, told them she had been kidnapped fromSpokane earlier and driven to the casino.
Margarita further told security staff that her abductor was her estranged husband, Andrey S.Yermola, 21-years-old, also from Spokane, WA and he was inside the casino.
Margarita told deputies that she and Andrey had been separated for the past six months but today, Andrey had asked to meet with her, which she did. As soon as she got into their car, Andrey drove away with her. When she told him to let her out, he refused and kept driving, eventually driving into Idaho.
At some point, he stopped the car and threw out a pistol that he had been carrying, then continued on to the casino. When they arrived at the casino, Andrey left her in the car and went inside, it was at this point, Margarita was able to flee the car and contacted security. The pistol was later recovered using a KCSO K-9 unit.
It was listed as a stolen firearm fromSpokane, WA. Spokane Police were notified of the kidnapping and the recovered stolen firearm. They will be investigating the initial incidents that occurred in Spokane.
Once more deputies arrived on scene, they entered the casino, located Andrey and were able to take him into custody without incident. Andrey refused to speak with the deputies regarding the incident and he was transported to the Kootenai County Jail where he was booked for 2nd Degree Kidnapping, Possession of Stolen Property and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm. All three are felony charges and he currently has no bond set.
