WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Bond set for teen involved in hostage standoff

Bond set for teen involved in hostage standoff

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Bond has been set for a 17-year-old girl accused of helping a former South Carolina police officer kidnap and hold hostage the man's estranged wife and child.

Jamie Lynn Burgess was being held at a Lexington County jail Tuesday on $450,000 surety bond. She faces several charges including kidnapping, carjacking and assault with intent to kill. Police say they consider her a flight risk.

Scott Burgess says he has no idea why his daughter was involved.

"I love her, and we're behind her. We're going to do whatever we can for her," Burgess said.

Burgess said this was out of character for his daughter and that he couldn't say exactly what he thought happend.

"We need to get an attorney and I don't want to say anything to jeopardize the case," Burgess said.

Burgess had been looking for his daughter before the kidnapping.

A Lexington County sheriff's spokesman says Scott Burgess filed a missing person report on New Year's Day.

Authorities say Burgess and 25-year-old David Dietz surrendered Monday morning after a 13-hour standoff at a Georgia motel. The two had been holed up in a second floor room with 7-month-old Allim David Dietz and Dietz's estranged wife, 29-year-old Eva Arce-Perez.

A U.S. magistrate judge in Macon, Ga., Tuesday ordered Dietz sent back to South Carolina to face federal charges. A spokeswoman for the marshal service said she wasn't sure when he would be sent back to the state, but that it likely wouldn't be Tuesday.

The standoff started Sunday night after the Georgia State Patrol spotted a stolen Ford Explorer in the Red Roof Inn parking lot. Shots were fired from the motel room and authorities evacuated the motel's other guests.

Witnesses saw vehicles from numerous law enforcement agencies and snipers posted around the area.

The hostage situation marked the end of events that began Saturday night in West Columbia.

Police say Dietz showed up on North Lucas Street walking out of the woods in a police uniform, pointing a gun and threatening his wife Arce-Perez and her family.

West Columbia Police Chief Dennis Tyndall said, "He had threatened the family, that he was going to kill the family. How soon before this incident he did that, I'm not sure. Like I say, when they got there, there was two cars pulled up from church. Family and friends in both cars. And he jumped into the one she was in and fired into the other one, and left the scene."

Police say Dietz fired at least three times, but no one was hit.

Investigators say Dietz forced Perez and the child into an SUV. Burgess was also in the vehicle.

"How she's involved exactly, we're not sure. We know that she was active in the kidnapping. She assisted in holding down Ms. Perez while he was firing into the other vehicle. So, she was actively involved," Tyndall said.

Authorities say David was a City of Columbia Police officer for a brief period of time and a former probation and parole officer.

He was most recently working for the Department of Social Services. A DSS spokeswoman says his duties included working with teenage foster children to help them make the transition to adulthood.

Donald Berry was David Dietz's foster parent. He was too shaken up to speak on camera, but said David was a great son. Donald also said at times, Arce-Perez wouldn't let David see his son.

Matthew Berry has known David for around ten years. He says he was like a brother to him.

Berry and Dietz met in high school and have kept in touch through the years. Berry says he's never seen Dietz lose his temper or display a violent side.

He was shocked when police told him what happened.

"It does surprise me because he's always been as cordial as possible. He's always done his best to gain the acceptance of others," Berry said.

Berry says Dietz didn't have a loving childhood, something he wanted to correct for his kid.

"He probably just wanted family so much that he was willing to take it," Berry said.

If anything, Berry said he thought Dietz was "harmless."

"He did not seem like he could do anything like that," Berry said.

Dietz has had several prior run-ins with police.

In June 2007, he is mentioned in a police report in West Columbia. The report indicates Dietz identified himself as a SLED agent.

The previous year, Dietz had served about five months as a Columbia police officer, but he was not employed by SLED.

In November 2007, a report says Dietz was fired by Agape Senior, an assisted living center in West Columbia. He was fired for what the report calls "aggressive behavior towards other employees."

In May 2008, he was arrested on a criminal domestic violence charge and accused of hitting Perez and threatening to shoot her brother at a Richland County apartment complex. The Richland County Sheriff's Department says Dietz was carrying a .40 caliber Glock handgun on his hip.

Dietz asked for a jury trial. The 5th Circuit Solicitor's office says the victim was notified of the court date and served a subpoena. But when trial was called in December, failed to show up. With no other witnesses available, the trial judge dismissed the case.

Shortly after the case was dropped, police were called to the North Lucas address. Perez told them Dietz had threatened to kick the door in. She told the police that Dietz was "crazy."

As for Dietz and Burgess, police say they still don't know the nature of the relationship between the two or how they became acquainted.

Chief Tyndall says Dietz and Burgess had been seen together prior to the kidnapping.

Reported by Jackie Faye, Jack Kuenzie, Jasmin Guerrero and Jordan Sandler

Posted by Jeremy Turnage

Copyright 2008 Raycom Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.