Man accused of abducting FIU student denied bond

Carlos Jose Arana, 42, arrested on charge of armed kidnapping

MIAMI – A man accused of abducting a Florida International University student at a bus stop just outside the main campus in Miami was denied bond on Tuesday.

Carlos Jose Arana, 42, was arrested Monday on a charge of armed kidnapping. Arana has been arrested twice before, once in 1995 for sexual battery on a minor.

Arana did not speak much during his court appearance Tuesday, but told the judge that he did not have money to hire a private attorney.

The victim told police that she was waiting at a bus stop at Southwest 107th Avenue and 17th Street about 11:30 a.m. Friday when Arana approached her in an SUV and forced her inside the vehicle.

According to the incident report, Arana offered the victim a ride to work, which she refused multiple times. The woman told officers that Arana said, "I have a knife, get in the car." She said complied out of fear for her life.

The woman also claimed that Arana touched her breast over and under her shirt after she had said no repeatedly.

Police said Arana, who was driving a white 1999 Jeep Cherokee, dropped the victim off a couple of miles from campus at Dolphin Mall where she works. The woman said Arana put his phone number in her phone before dropping her off, and said his name was "Oliver."

A similar crime was reported recently at Miami-Dade College's Kendall campus. In that case, a 19-year-old student said she was sitting in her car in a parking garage when an armed man approached her and forced her to drive to an ATM and take out money.

Police said it's unclear whether the two incidents are related.

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Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.