Half Moon Bay Man Charged with Elder Abuse, Kidnapping of Grandmother

A 27-year-old Half Moon Bay resident charged with elder abuse, false imprisonment, kidnapping, possession of heroin, a misdemeanor driving on a suspended license and a violation of a court order pleaded not guilty this morning in San Mateo County Superior Court.

According to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, the charges stem from an incident on Sept. 24 when Valdez — whose driver's license had been suspended — was being driven back to Half Moon Bay from Palo Alto by his 82-year-old grandmother at 11:30 p.m.

As the car reached Half Moon Bay, Valdez reportedly became "angry" at his grandmother because she was driving too slow, "pounded" on the dashboard and "pushed" her right leg down to make the car go faster, according to a report from the District Attorney's office.

At that point, Valdez's grandmother became "scared" and tried to pull into the Shell gas station on Highway 92, but Valdez reportedly became "angrier" and allegedly pulled his grandmother out from the driver's seat, "threw" her in the passenger's seat and punched her in the face several times after she tried to leave, according to the report.

A witness at the nearby 7-11 on the other side of the street called 9-1-1. Valdez reportedly drove away on Highway 92 holding on to his grandmother.

According to the District Attorney's report, San Mateo County Sheriff's Office Deputy Marty saw Valdez on Highway 92 and followed the car. The deputy reported that he witnessed Valdez "grab" his grandmother’s by the hair and "slam" her head against the passenger window several times.

After Deputy Marty stopped the car, Valdez's grandmother left the car screaming for help, according to the report.

Valdez tried to leave the scene as well, according to the report, but was stopped by Deputy Marty.

According to the report, the deputy found .05 grams of heroin in the car's center console.

Upon further inquiry, Valdez's grandmother "refused" medical attention and said that Valdez never hit her. She also said that she did not want anything done to her grandson, the report said.

The report listed the weight of Valdez's grandmother at 105 lbs.

Valdez is currently in custody at San Mateo County jail on $50,000 bail.

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