'Ellie' the sniffer dog leads deputies to suspect accused of imprisoning, torturing female acquaintance, authorities said.
A K-9 officer named "Ellie" helped authorities track down a man accused of torturing and assaulting a friend after luring her to his home, authorities said.
San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies were able to follow the suspect's footprints through the desert until they stopped at a roadway.
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So then they brought in Ellie, a sweet-faced hound who picked up a scent from the footprints and trotted off for about a mile until coming to a trailer, where she got very excited, the sheriff's department said in a statement.
Inside, deputies found David Ignacio Siova, who was trying to hide, authorities said.
He is being held without bail on charges of torture, assault with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment, the department said. It was not clear whether he had been arraigned.
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Deputies had been called Sunday morning by a woman who said an acquaintance had lured her to his home, then tied her up for several hours, during which he repeatedly tortured and assaulted her, she said.
Her attacker eventually took her home, the woman told authorities.
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