Two California men have been arrested in North Stockton after reportedly kidnapping a woman from a Wal-Mart parking lot and forcing her to undergo an exorcism.
42-year-old Jose Magana Farias and his son Victor Farias, 20, have been taken into police custody after Jose allegedly made plans to meet with his ex-wife and mother of the son at the north Stockton superstore on Saturday under the pretext that he wanted to work things out in their marriage.
San Joaquin sherriff's Lt. Mike Jones told KCRA-TV that the ex-wife got into the car, and the two men drove her to pick up two priests before forcing her to be exorcised. The two men reportedly thought that the woman had made intense changes in her life, and that indicated that she'd been possessed by demons. They allegedly threw sacred oil on her and "purified" her soul as is traditionally done in the religious ceremony. According to KCRA, which cited a deputy's report, the woman was not physically harmed during the exorcism, and no signs of torture were found.
A fellow resident of Magana-Farias' neighborhood told the news station that Jose was a loving father who spent a lot of time with his two children. The wife, who reportedly divorced from Jose a year ago, was visiting the home and children in Stockton for a few weeks.
"He's a real nice guy. He works every day-six days a week... [You] just don't expect something like that," the neighbor said to Fox 40.
Both Jose and his son Victor are slated to make a court appearance on Wednesday. Jose has been charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment. He was also arrested on a detainment order issued by the U.S. Border Patrol.
