A Big Bear Lake man is behind bars after allegedly kidnapping a 17-year-old girl and subjecting her to psychological and physical abuse over six days. Zackary Dourousseau, 26, was arrested and charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment, and statutory rape, the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department reported.
According to a sheriff's department statement, Dourousseau is accused of holding the juvenile captive at his Sugarloaf residence. The victim, who escaped from the suspect's locked vehicle while he was at work, informed deputies that beginning on March 1, Dourousseau had refused her requests to leave after picking her up.
The ordeal ended when the juvenile managed to flee from the vehicle on March 7 and found sanctuary at a local business, where employees dialed 911. Deputies said that during her confinement, the victim was provided with little sustenance and was coerced into consuming alcohol. At his place of work on Village Drive, a locked vehicle housed the victim, who was later able to escape.
Sheriff's officials detailed in their report that Dourousseau forced the juvenile to have sex with him in return for the promise of freedom. After her escape, Dourousseau was subsequently located at the 300 block of Los Angeles Avenue and arrested. He is now in custody and awaits a court hearing scheduled for March 18.
The Big Bear Sheriff Station is encouraging anyone with knowledge of the incident to come forward, with assurance they can remain anonymous through the We-Tip Hotline. The Sheriff-Coroner, Shannon D. Dicus, is leading the charge in a community appeal for information to help solidify the case against Dourousseau and provide justice for the unnamed victim. The gravity of these allegations underscores a chilling reality of vulnerability amongst our youth and the dangers that can lurk within our neighborhoods.
