In two unrelated weekend incidents, a kidnapping at knife-point and another attempted kidnapping and conspiracy to murder, occurred in Pahrump, one involving the rape of the female victim.

On Saturday an unidentified lone female driver on Dahlia Street, behind the Pahrump Valley Plaza (the Albertson's-Wal-Mart shopping center), was heading north when a man jumped in front of her vehicle, forcing her to stop. When the woman checked to see if the man was all right, he jumped into her front passenger seat and told her to drive.

Armed with a knife, the man directed her to a lonely spot in the desert where he proceeded to rape her. He then departed on foot, according to a brief sheriff's office press release.

On Monday, however, the victim fingered the suspect in a police photo lineup. He was identified as Robert Yowell, 51, of Pahrump.

Yowell, arrested later in Petrack Park, has been charged with sexually motivated kidnapping, sexual assault with a deadly weapon and robbery. He is being held on $275,000 bail.

Another, more involved attempted kidnapping occurred about 11 p.m. Friday. After a call for service reporting suspicious persons, sheriff's deputies were dispatched to a residence in the Mountain Falls master-planned community in Pahrump.

The dispatcher had been advised that two unknown males were attempting to break into the residence. The backyard patio light had been turned off, possibly by a third accomplice, the dispatcher was told.

Upon arrival, the deputies saw two males hurriedly getting into their vehicle. The two were detained and a patdown was performed for the officers' safety before the investigation began.

Both male suspects acquiesced to a search of their persons, during which deputies discovered on one of the suspects a black, expandable baton, commonly known as an asp, and a black folding knife.

The other suspect also had a black folding knife.

Additionally, a note pad was discovered on the first suspect, which contained the written address of the residence.

The male who had gotten into the driver's seat in the attempt to flee acquiesced to a search of his vehicle, which turned up two pairs of latex gloves, freshly worn; a .45-caliber handgun; three wallets, each containing the suspect's ID; a black backpack; and two cell phones.

A search of the backpack, according to the lengthy sheriff's office press release, revealed "numerous zip-ties, pre-tied in a hand-restraining fashion," according to the release. The backpack also contained another set of latex gloves, a stun gun, duck tape, disinfectant hand wipes and a fully loaded 9 mm magazine.

The magazine, it was later learned, belonged to a third suspect, who also had the handgun fitting the magazine.

Then, a search was made of the suspects' cell phones, which revealed text messages sent back and forth among the three suspects that allegedly detailed the course of their actions in the commission of the crime.

Subsequent investigation unveiled that the plan for the crime originated with an unidentified person who was in overall charge and had hired the three suspects at the scene.

They were instructed to gain entry to the residence, restrain the 60-plus-year-old man and kidnap him.

The man was to be taken to a house in Clark County "where he was to be killed and the body later disposed of," according to the release, which labels "confidential" all the suspects' names and that of the victim.

The cause for the killing was, according to the release, "an enormous outstanding debt owed (by) the resident to the person in charge (of ordering the kidnapping)."

The two suspects at the scene were placed under arrest and booked on separate charges. One was charged with conspiracy to kidnap, attempted kidnapping in the first degree, attempted burglary, use of a deadly weapon in the commission of the crime with a victim over the age of 60. Bail was set for $259,000.

The other suspect was charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, conspiracy to commit coercion and attempted burglary of a victim over the age of 60. Bail was set for $17,500.

The third suspect got away, but was later apprehended in Las Vegas. Of the two suspects locked up in Pahrump, one posted bail and was let out pending trial.