Man Accused In Violent Arvada Kidnapping Appears In Court

ARVADA, CO – A Denver man arrested in connection with an alleged violent Arvada kidnapping appeared in Jefferson County District Court Thursday. According to police investigators, the victim escaped from a being held at gunpoint in a car after grabbing the wheel on I-70 and crashing the vehicle into a guard rail and running away down the highway.

Matthew Toth, 39, was arrested Sept. 27 and is being held in the Jefferson County jail on $200,000 bail charged with kidnapping, assault and menacing with a weapon.

Police said on Sept. 22 Toth allegedly beat, terrorized and kidnapped a 27-year-old former male roommate whom he believed had stolen items from him. The victim was lured by a Facebook message from a mutual female friend to an Arvada house, according to an arrest affidavit.

Police said the male victim told them he was itinerant and had previously been living with Toth in Denver at a "trap house" or flophouse in the 1300 block of Knox Avenue. Toth had accused him of stealing some items from the house, an affidavit said.

The victim said he was invited to an Arvada home in the 9400 block of West 65th Avenue that evening over Facebook by a female friend. While he was there, the victim told police Toth entered the house through the front door with "a bandana tied around the lower portion of his face and ... carrying a shotgun," the affidavit said.

After an argument, the victim said Toth allegedly repeatedly beat him on the back of the head with the butt of the shotgun, injuring him and causing a large amount of blood to be spilled on the couch and the living room floor. Police with a warrant later found blood stains that corroborated the account, the affidavit said.

The victim told police Toth demanded that he be driven to the location of his stolen property and forced the the victim at gunpoint into the passenger seat of a black Chrysler 300 sedan which had been driven to the house by a man who was visiting the Arvada woman. The visitor got into the driver's seat and Toth and the woman got into the back seats, the victim told police in the affidavit. Toth sat behind the victim allegedly holding the shotgun to his head, he said.

As the car drove westbound along I-70, the victim told police Toth threatened to cut off one of his thumbs. He told police he believed he was going to be killed, so he watched for traffic in the passengers side mirror and when there was a break, grabbed the barrel of the shotgun pushing it upwards with his right hand and grabbed the steering wheel with his left hand, pulling down, the affidavit said.

The car crashed into a guard rail near the Federal Boulevard exit on I-70 and the victim ran down the exit ramp to the Village Inn at 4850 Federal Blvd. and asked staff to call 911, the affidavit said. The victim was hospitalized with lacerations to his head requiring 17 stitches and a broken arm, police said.

Toth was scheduled for a hearing in court to be advised of charges Thursday.

Also arrested was Jessica Evig, 26, who is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 30.

Image via Jefferson County Sheriff's Office

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