S.C. Dollar General worker helps save 2 kidnapped teens buying snacks

OCONEE COUNTY, S.C. — A South Carolina man is facing kidnapping charges after forcing two teenagers into his truck and then letting them out to get snacks.

Deputies say Martin Pena Altamirano, 50, forced the teenagers into his truck in Seneca, South Carolina at gunpoint.

After driving around for a while, investigators say Altamirano gave the teens some money and sent them into a Dollar General near the Georgia border to buy snacks and drinks.

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While inside the store, the teenagers told employees they had been kidnapped and asked them to call the police.

Deputies arrived at the store a short time later and arrested Altamirano.

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He is currently being held without bond on two counts of kidnapping, two counts of pointing and presenting a firearm and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

The teenage victims were driven home by deputies and then taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.

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