Tustin : Elderly Man Home Safe After Kidnap Incident

An elderly man kidnaped in Tustin Sunday was found by police Monday after his car was involved in a traffic accident as he attempted to navigate his way home after being released by his captor.

Frank M. Holliday, 89, turned up in Anaheim about 1:30 a.m. after his car struck another vehicle, resulting in slight injuries. Police said they were called to the scene by the driver of the second vehicle, who thought Holliday was intoxicated. A check on Holliday’s license plate showed the car missing from Tustin, and Holliday, described as being “in a confused state” by police, was identified soon afterward. Holliday’s injuries did not require treatment and he was allowed to go home, police said.

The accident climaxed a 12-hour ordeal during which Holliday drove for six to eight hours from an unknown Los Angeles location in search of his home on the 1200 block of Sycamore Avenue. Holliday was kidnaped about 2 p.m. on Sunday after a man asked him for a ride to the bank to get money to buy Holliday’s trailer.

Police are seeking Clarence L. Dews, 29, who is on parole for a similar car theft and kidnaping in Fresno in 1982. Police believe Dews eluded them Sunday afternoon on the Tustin block where Dews and Holliday live.

Police said Holliday was taken captive after a man came to his door and said he wanted to buy a trailer that the Hollidays had advertised in their front window, according to Holliday’s wife, Doris. The man said he needed a ride to the bank to withdraw money for the trailer, she said.

Despite his wife’s misgivings, Holliday got into the car with the man and was forced to drive to a location “somewhere” in Los Angeles County. His captor abandoned both Holliday and the car at some point, telling him, “I hope you get home all right,” Doris Holiday said.

Confused and lost, Holliday drove on surface streets for several hours before reaching Anaheim.

Doris Holliday had warned her husband not to leave with the stranger Sunday. “He’s so trusting,” she said. “This man said he had a bank card and could get money even though the bank was closed.”