Man sentenced to prison for kidnapping estranged wife in San Diego

A San Diego man was sentenced in federal court on Wednesday for kidnapping his estranged wife in front of her two children and forcibly driving her to Mexico.

Officials said Chad Oso, 55, was sentenced to more than ten years in jail for kidnapping his estranged wife from her La Mesa apartment on September 17, 2024. Oso was found guilty of kidnapping by a federal jury in March.

According to the evidence given at trial, Oso arrived at the victim’s home unannounced and uninvited. After rejecting his requests, she attempted to notify a close neighbor. However, Oso pursued her, assaulted her, and then dragged her into the hatchback area of his Toyota RAV4.

Prosecutors say the victim’s two children were at home during the kidnapping and were left alone.

“Violently ripping a mother away from her young children is an unconscionable act of violence and cruelty,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon in a news release Wednesday.

They claimed that Oso then drove about La Mesa with the girl in his car, while she desperately tried to flee by shouting for help and knocking on the back window.

Some people witnessed and contacted 911.

Police proceeded to the victim’s apartment complex and phoned Oso, asking him to bring his estranged wife home, according to officials. Instead, he drove into Mexico, where he stated he intended to abandon her in the “desert.”

When she arrived in Mexico, the woman stretched her hand out the car window and pled with Mexican Customs officials for assistance. The car was returned to the United States border, where Customs and Border Protection authorities rescued the victim and arrested Oso.

According to officials, the woman was attacked and dragged into Oso’s car, resulting in injuries to her face, head, chin, arms, legs, and hands.

“This case is a stark reminder of how quickly domestic violence can escalate into life-threatening violence,” La Mesa Police Chief Ray Sweeney stated in a news statement. “We are grateful to the members of the La Mesa community who recognized the danger and immediately called 911.”