11/02/2005

Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)
By ROBIN K. COOPER

Police believe abduction planned

Star athlete fought off attack in school parking lot

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - A Ford Windstar van stocked with maps, a tarp and a rope with slipknots sat in the Saratoga Springs High School parking lot Monday evening.

The van was parked in the gym lot next to a car that belonged to the school's top female runner.

After finishing cross-country practice, Lindsey Ferguson threw her gym bag in her car as the side door of the minivan slid open. A man jumped out and grabbed Ferguson around the upper body, then he placed his other hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming, according to city police.

But the 17-year-old high school The Daily senior fought back, freeing herself so she could yell for help, said Saratoga Springs police Lt. Gary Forward.

"When she started hollering and screaming, he jumped back in his van," Forward said.

Monday's attempted abduction at Saratoga Springs High School led to a quick arrest after an assistant coach and a varsity cross-country coach rushed into action as their star athlete shouted for help.

"The girl and the two adults who helped her are heroes," Forward said.

Their quick response led to the arrest of a suspect identified by police as John F. Regan, 48, of Waterbury, Conn.

The thought of what could have happened is frightening, said Superintendent of Schools Dr. John MacFadden.

"This was a brazen, blatant act," he said Tuesday.

And the attack is not believed to be random or a spur of the moment. "It looks like this was a pretty organized incident," said Saratoga Springs Police Chief Edward Moore.

Regan, who is facing charges of second-degree attempted kidnapping and first-degree attempted unlawful imprisonment, has been charged with similar crimes in his Connecticut hometown, authorities said.

The roofer, who has managed ABC Supply Co. in Waterbury, also is facing kidnapping charges in Waterbury stemming from a 1993 case where police said Regan cut the phone lines to a woman's home, put on a mask and raped the woman while her husband was away and her children were in bed, authorities said.

Regan also has been charged with unlawful restraint in a 2004 Waterbury case in which police said he took a 21-year-old co-worker to his father's home and threw her onto a futon and attempted to sexually assault her, authorities said.

"That's why we argued that he be held without bail," said Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III.

"We argued that the judge should not only consider the severity of these offenses (in Saratoga Springs) but also the unrelated offenses in Connecticut," Murphy said.

"This is a serious defendant who certainly has a track record that is crying out for us to be cautious," MacFadden said. "It's just bizarre as to why he was drawn to this place. Was this stalking?"

The student returned to school Tuesday, MacFadden said.

"She's a good student and national talent, and she appears to be okay," he said.

The incident occurred at 5:30 p.m. Monday while the parking lot still was busy.

The attack has prompted the school to beef up the number of staff who monitor school property and parking lots to help prevent such an incident in the future.

Coaches and staff also will be instructed to discuss such incidents and encourage students and athletes to be more vigilant, MacFadden said.

Regan has been out of jail on the Connecticut charges since he posted $350,000 bail.

His ability to come up with high bail is another reason why local authorities argued for City Court Judge Douglas Mills to order Regan to be held at Saratoga County Jail without bail on Tuesday, and Mills agreed to do so.

"We did that because of the thought that a violent crime like this could be committed while other charges (in Connecticut) are pending," Murphy said.

Authorities suspect that Regan had been in Saratoga Springs for a short time and might have been overseeing local construction jobs.

Forward described Regan's visits to the area as "sporadic."

Monday's arrest came just a short time after the attempted kidnapping, authorities said.

Art Kranick, the high school cross-country coach, had followed the van to Beekman Street, just a few blocks from the school.

The van has since been impounded so investigators could search the vehicle.

Maps, a tarp and a rope with slipknots were found inside the van, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

The investigation now has expanded to include city police, Waterbury police and state police from New York and Connecticut.

Sgt. Chris Corbett of the Waterbury Police Department said charges against Regan in Connecticut were first filed in October 2004.

Since then, Regan also was charged in connection with the 1993 sexual assault case that had gone unsolved until DNA evidence obtained in the 2004 case made Regan a suspect in the earlier crimes, Corbett said.

The Saratoga Springs case is expected to be heard by a grand jury once police wrap up their investigation.

It is unclear if Regan's case here will be handled before the Connecticut cases are concluded, Murphy said.

Since Regan's arrest in Saratoga Springs Monday, the Connecticut State Attorney's office has decided to seek a revocation of Regan's $350,000 bail, Murphy said.

A fugitive from justice charge also is likely to be added to the list of charges Regan faces in Connecticut, Murphy said.

Attorney E. Stewart Jones of Troy said he will represent Regan in the Saratoga Springs case, but declined to say how he plans to proceed.