Man accused of kidnapping Bloomberg ranch housekeeper sought billionaire's daughters

Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The man accused of kidnapping a housekeeper at the Colorado ranch owned by former presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg was seeking the billionaire's daughters, prosecutors said.

Joseph Beecher, 48, was arrested in Wyoming on Thursday after allegedly kidnapping Amanda Edinger at gunpoint on Wednesday and forcing her to drive him across state lines to the Stagecoach Motel in Cheyenne, according to a complaint filed in a federal court in Wyoming.

Security camera footage from the property showed Beecher allegedly inspect the locked gate before ramming it down with his Mazda pickup and storming the house after he allegedly burglarized an AR-15 rifle and another rifle from another home nearby.

He faces a federal charge for kidnapping and multiple state charges including kidnapping and felony menacing, prosecutors said.

Before the kidnapping, Beecher asked Edinger about Bloomberg's daughters by name and said he wanted to "make an international scene," according to court documents filed in a Colorado court, which were obtained by The New York Times.

Neither of Bloomberg's daughters, 42-year-old Emma and 39-year-old Georgina, were at the ranch at the time of the alleged kidnapping.

The Rio Blanco Sheriff's Office in Colorado said in a statement that the Bloomberg family out of New York owns the ranch in Rio Blanco County.

"The Bloombergs were not at the ranch at the time of the kidnapping. They are aware of the incident and are cooperating with police. Beecher has no connection with the Bloomberg family," the statement reads.

Ty Trippet, spokesman for Michael Bloomberg, said that the family was "deeply grateful" to law enforcement "for their swift and heroic action in this case in ensuring that no lives were lost and that the victim has been rescued and safely returned to her family."

Edinger told law enforcement officials that Beecher made her sleep in the same bed as him and forced her to put his head on chest with her arms around him and her leg over his. Police said that Edinger has no connection to the suspect, as they are unknown to one another.

After Beecher's arrest, law enforcement recovered the AR-15 rifle and multiple magazines from the hotel room. He has been booked into the Laramie County jail in Wyoming where he is being held without bail.