A felon who abducted his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint from her Woodcrest home and forced her to drive him to Riverside pleaded guilty Wednesday to kidnapping and other charges and was immediately sentenced to 13 years in state prison.
Maurice Dion Gamble, 43, of Riverside, admitted the felony count, as well as a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors dropped six related counts against Gamble.
The agreement was announced when the defendant’s case was called for a preliminary hearing Wednesday at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Superior Court Judge Jennifer Gerard certified the terms of the deal and imposed the stipulated sentence.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Jared Howe, in the predawn hours of March 28, 2024, deputies were alerted to a possible kidnapping from which the victim had escaped.
Further investigation revealed that the woman, whose identity was not disclosed, had been forced to drive Gamble at gunpoint from her Woodcrest residence to west Riverside, Howe said.
“The victim was able to flee from the suspect and contacted the Riverside Police Department,” the sergeant said.
She was not physically injured.
Howe said that, with patrol officers’ assistance, deputies tracked down and took Gamble into custody without incident in the area of Laurel Drive and Canyon Ridge Road, near California Citrus State Historic Park.
A firearm was seized during his arrest.
Court records show Gamble has prior convictions in another jurisdiction, but they were not specified.