NBC-2 News: Man accused of kidnapping wife and four children, threatening to murder them

NBC-2 Reporter Ryan Arbogast

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — Collier County deputies have arrested Antonio Caban on five counts of kidnapping charges with intent to harm. He is accused of abducting his wife and four children against their will.

“The five charges Mr. Caban is facing and are charged with are first-degree felonies that are punishable by life. Because these are first-degree felonies punishable by life, Mr. Caban is not entitled to a pre-trial release,” said the state prosecutor.

According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), Caban’s family had fled their Puerto Rico home after years of abuse. They ultimately resided in an Immokalee women’s and children’s domestic violence shelter.

During a rendezvous in LaBelle, Caban told the family he wanted them to move back in with him, and they refused. He then kidnapped them.

Reports state Caban beat his wife with a tire iron and threatened to murder all four children in the car. He told them to drive him to a Home Depot somewhere between LaBelle and Immokalee so he could buy a shovel and murder them with it.

“The state is going to ask to hold Mr. Caban no bond on each of these counts,” said the state prosecutor.

His wife tricked Caban by asking if she could return to the Immokalee shelter for her personal documents. While inside, she was able to contact 911. Caban was arrested on scene.

“This case clearly goes beyond marital emotions and stresses. I’m going to grant the state’s motion to hold Mr. Caban no bond on each count,” said Judge Blake Adams, presiding over the case.

NBC2 also spoke with the Naples Shelter for Abused Women & Children, which provides support during domestic violence and human trafficking situations similar to this arrest.

“For a lot of victims of domestic violence that come to our shelter, there’s something called a power and control wheel. It’s all the different ways an abuser will use power and control to abuse victims. They may use threats against children, threats to harm animals in the home, threats of violence towards that person. There are lots of ways abusers control victims,” said Linda Oberhaus, who runs the shelter.

The shelter provided the following statistics to NBC2 regarding the prevalence of domestic violence in Collier County.

“Lots of victims underestimate the level of danger they are actually in. And so if someone is being verbally abusive, or physically abusive, or they threaten to harm or kill you, I would say take steps … call the domestic violence hotline. If there are victims who are looking at the broadcast, I would encourage them to call the shelter for help — do a safety plan,” said Oberhaus.

The center encourages all who are in a toxic relationship to contact the domestic violence hotline, which can be found on their website.

“What you’ll find is that the majority of victims of domestic violence and their children who were killed, they were killed at the time they said they were going to leave, or they left the relationship,” said Oberhaus.

At this time, Caban is in custody at the Naples Jail Center.

He has currently denied all charges, and reports said he has refused to cooperate with deputies.

Caban tried to commit suicide while in holding at the Immokalee substation, but was brought in successfully and safely.