Arrest Follows Crime Spree, Police Say

A man wanted in connection with a rape in Northern California and a kidnapping in Utah was arrested Friday in Laguna Beach, the FBI said.

Frederick Sydney Laird, 38, was taken into custody without incident at 1:15 p.m. outside the Marine Room, a bar on Ocean Avenue, FBI Special Agent Joseph T. White said.

Laird “was just a casual tourist,” White said, when officers confronted him.

The FBI had asked for the public’s help in finding Laird, whom they traced to Orange County with credit card and cell phone records.

Authorities suspect Laird in a crime spree that began in Utah on June 25, when a young girl, Laird’s cousin, was kidnapped.

She was released on a freeway after five days during which she was deprived of food, police said.

The FBI said Laird was spotted in Las Vegas on July 1, where he was suspected of stealing a car that was later recovered.

Authorities believe that Laird then raped a woman July 13 in the Marin County community of Tiburon.

According to police, Laird went to the woman’s home on the pretext of answering her roommate-wanted ad.

He forced his way inside, bound the woman with duct tape and raped her, White said. Laird also stole the woman’s car and credit cards, the FBI said.

Laird was released from a Colorado prison earlier this year, where he had served time for aggravated vehicle theft, authorities said.