Kidnapping suspect Joseph Hetzel extradited back to Santa Barbara County

Joseph Hetzel, the man accused of kidnapping 55-year-old Virginia Paris in Sept. 2017 minutes after she left her work in Solvang, has been extradited to Santa Barbara County.

Hetzel was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on Jan. 19, 2018 and arraigned three days later, according to authorities. His bail was set at $1 million dollars.

Hetzel had been in police custody in Henderson, Nevada until the court there ordered him to be transferred to agents with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 10.

According to Paris herself, she agreed to marry Hetzel in Las Vegas believing she had a fighting chance to escape. She was able to make a phone call to two family members before escaping by getting help at the Railroad Pass Hotel and Casino in Henderson.

Hetzel was captured by police in Las Vegas days after the kidnapping took place.

Hetzel appeared in court Wednesday morning in Santa Maria where he pled “Not Guilty” to felony charges that include kidnapping and stalking.