Man arrested in alleged kidnapping of Bloomberg ranch worker

Authorities are investigating the alleged kidnapping of a woman who works at a Colorado ranch owned by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg

Bloomberg Ranch Kidnapping

Authorities say they’re investigating after a man went to a western Colorado ranch owned by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and kidnapped an employee at gunpoint.

Joseph Beecher, 48, took the woman from the ranch Wednesday in her vehicle and then to several places in the Denver area before going to neighboring Wyoming the Rio Blanco Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Friday. He was arrested Thursday after they were found at a motel in Cheyenne Wyoming.

Beecher, of rural Craig, Colorado, had no connection to the Bloomberg family or the victim, and the Bloombergs were not at the ranch at the time, the sheriff’s office said. Why he went there is under investigation.

Beecher had multiple firearms at the time of his arrest, authorities said.

He was being held in jail in Cheyenne. No charges had been filed against him yet in Wyoming, according to court records, and it was not immediately known if he had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf.

Bloomberg’s spokesperson, Ty Trippet, expressed gratitude to law enforcement for their “swift and heroic action” in the case and returning the victim to her family safely.