Woman’s Car Found; Suspect’s Sketch Released

Police said Tuesday that the car of a Santa Monica woman missing since Feb. 15 has been found at a Century City hotel, where a man had left it a day later.

Santa Monica Police Chief James T. Butts Jr. said that the same man may have tried earlier to abduct another woman with a ploy similar to the one he used on 21-year-old Kristine Louise Johnson.

She was last seen on a Saturday afternoon after telling a roommate that she had met a photographer earlier in the day at the Century City Mall and was going to Beverly Hills because he was going to take pictures of her for a movie production.

Johnson’s white 1996 Mazda Miata convertible was found Monday at the St. Regis Hotel in Century City. Hotel security notified police about the car.

The valet on duty on Feb. 16, the day the Mazda was abandoned, had told the driver he couldn’t park there because it was “valet only,” Butts said.

“The subject stated, ‘Here’s the key,’ and tossed the keys” to the valet, Butts said. The driver, who had no passenger, bore a strong resemblance to a sketch of the suspect, the valet told police.

Sheriff’s crime lab investigators are analyzing the car and keys for evidence.

In January, another woman had been approached at the Century City Mall by a man who asked to photograph her for a movie production, Butts said.

They met in West Hollywood. Suspicious, the woman brought her boyfriend -- a former police officer -- and asked him to wait in a nearby parked car, Butts said.

“This subject approached her and insisted, in a very aggressive manner, that she come with him immediately,” Butts said. Her boyfriend chased the man and frisked him for identification.

“No identification was found, and the subject broke free and fled, not to be seen again,” Butts said. No car was seen. The couple reported the incident to police on Feb. 20 after they learned about Johnson’s disappearance, Butts said.

Police released a sketch of the man, described as a clean-shaven Caucasian in his 30s, about 6 feet tall with a thin to medium build and dark hair. He wore a dark suit.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to call police at (310) 458-8449.