Preliminary hearing held for accused kidnappers

The preliminary trial of two of the accused kidnappers got underway Friday.

The alleged victim of an August kidnapping, Brandon Bykonen, testified in the preliminary hearing. He described what happened the night of the incident. It was over meth, and he was accused of being an undercover officer or informant to the police. He recalled being tied up and blindfolded in the mobile home of Alavaro Oseguera. He was taken in the back of one of the suspect’s car. When shown a picture of his injuries,Bykonen tearfully described his hands being “chopped” in an open field off Lincoln road. After the suspects left him bleeding in the field. He walked about a half a mile to a home, where the residents called 9-1-1.

A woman described as the girlfriend of one of the defendants also testified. She was there for part of the night.

On August 27, just before 7:30 a.m., Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the area of East Lincoln Road for a report of a man down. Upon arrival, deputies found Bykonen and was taken to Eastern Idaho Medical Center.He lost his left pinky finger.

Three of the four suspects accused of kidnapping Bykonen appeared at Friday’s hearing. It was a joint hearing for Ivan Sandoval and Alavaro Oseguera. Sara Oden waived her preliminary hearing today. They have been charged with kidnapping and mayhem.

The State of Idaho defines mayhem as “Every person who unlawfully and maliciously deprives a human being of a member of his body, or disables, disfigures or renders it useless, or cuts out or disables the tongue, puts out an eye, slits the nose, ear or lip, is guilty of mayhem.”

Oden and another suspect Devin Crawford will appear in district court on September 29th.