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Charlestown Man Charged With Kidnapping Will Undergo Psychiatric Evaluation

Victor Pena, center, appears at the Charlestown Division of the Boston Municipal Court Wednesday. Pena, who has been charged with kidnapping a 23-year-old woman, was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and will be held without bail. (Aram Boghosian/The Boston Globe via AP Pool)
Victor Pena, center, appears at the Charlestown Division of the Boston Municipal Court Jan. 23, 2019. (Aram Boghosian/The Boston Globe via AP Pool)

The Charlestown man accused of kidnapping a young woman after she left a bar near Faneuil Hall on Saturday night has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before returning to court next month.

Victor Pena sobbed during his court appearance Wednesday and will be held without bail. The 38-year-old was arrested Tuesday after police found Olivia Ambrose inside his apartment.

A court clinician said Pena complained of psychotic symptoms that may have been exaggerated.

An incident report filed in the case provides more information on how Ambrose, 23, was found. The report says Pena took Ambrose’s phone and would not let her leave his apartment. But she was able to activate her phone Tuesday, helping officers confirm the location of the 49 Walford Way apartment.

Officers say they began to dismantle a lock on Pena’s door that he had privately installed, but he eventually let them inside, at which time he was taken into custody. Court documents say that when police entered Pena's apartment, Ambrose was crying and had a "horrified look on her face."

Boston Police Commissioner William Gross said Ambrose appeared to be in good health.

Pena will undergo a 20-day mental health evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office. He is scheduled to reappear in court on Feb. 11.

Joseph Perullo, an attorney for Pena, said after the hearing that it's too early to comment on the specifics of the case, but Perullo said he's happy that Ambrose is back home with her family.

Pena was arrested at Rhode Island's Twin River Casino in July on charges of cheating and obtaining money under false pretenses.

He was also accused in 2013 of violating a restraining order that his ex-girlfriend took out against him, documents say. The charge was ultimately dropped.

With reporting from WBUR's Khari Thompson and The Associated Press 

This article was originally published on January 23, 2019.

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