Marin article

Novato man accused of kidnapping girl to Las Vegas for sex

Douglas Warenback

By MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL and GARY KLIEN | gklien@marinij.com |

PUBLISHED: November 14, 2012 at 12:00 am

UPDATED: July 19, 2018 at 4:08 am

A Novato man is facing kidnapping charges on allegations he took a 16-year-old runaway to Las Vegas for sex, authorities said.

Douglas Harry Warenback, 53, who is on probation for a prior child pornography case in Novato, was arrested at home Tuesday on a warrant from Nevada. He is being held without bail at the Marin County Jail pending further proceedings.

The investigation began Sept. 3, when Las Vegas police found Warenback, the girl and two other males in a car at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel. The car smelled of marijuana, Warenback was at the wheel, and police learned the girl was 16 years old, according to court filings. The other two males were 22 and 17 years old.

Warenback is on probation for a 2011 conviction for possession of child porn in Marin County, according to court records. Under the terms of his probation, he is not allowed to be with minors without other adults present.

Under questioning by Las Vegas police, Warenback initially described the girl as his girlfriend, and said the four occupants of the car had two booked two rooms at the hotel, according to an affidavit by Detective Casey Clarkson.

“I asked Warenback if he was sharing the room with (the girl) and (he) said no but that he was either going to have a threesome with (the girl) and one of the other males or watch her and one of the males have sex together as he stayed in the room,” Clarkson wrote.

Police then contacted the girl’s mother in Elk Grove, Sacramento County. The mother told police she had no idea her daughter was in Las Vegas and that she had reported her missing as a runaway.

The mother also said she had found an online profile for her daughter on a sex website, in which she posted nude photos of herself and prices for sexual services.

The mother also said that she found a phone number in her daughter’s room, and when she called it, and man answered and identified himself as “Doug.” The mother asked him what his relationship to her daughters was, and he said he was “just like a dad to her,” the affidavit said.

Warenback was booked and released while Las Vegas police continued to investigate possible kidnapping charges. He allegedly called the mother to ask for an affidavit saying he had the parents’ consent to take the girl to Las Vegas.

“Warenback went on to say that it would help him out with the legal trouble he has coming his way and he is done talking to (the girl),” Clarkson wrote.

Warenback, whose birthday is Monday, listed his occupation as “engineer” when he was booked at the county jail.

Contact Gary Klien via email at gklien@marinij.com