Kumari Fulbright accused in kidnapping of ex-boyfriend

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An arrest warrant for one of two men sought by Tucson police in connection with the kidnapping and torture of a former Pima County beauty queen's ex-boyfriend has been thrown out, an official said Thursday.

Michael Ergonis, 46, and his brother Robert Ergonis, 44, were wanted by police in connection with a 10-hour abduction and torture Dec. 8, said Sgt. Fabian Pacheco, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.

The warrant against Michael Ergonis was thrown out earlier this week, said Officer Frank Amado, another police spokesman. Ergonis called police and said he was not in Arizona when the reported crime took place, Amado said.

"Detectives investigated that alibi and based on the information they obtained they quashed the warrant," Amado said.

Kumari Fulbright, 25, a UA law student who has since been suspended from school, and Larry Bruce Hammond, 40, have already been accused of kidnapping the 24-year-old man, binding him with plastic cable and duct tape and holding him captive in two homes, court documents say.

Police are still looking for Robert Ergonis and think he may have left the Tucson area, Amado said. A fourth suspect who may have been involved in the kidnapping is also being sought, but police have not identified that person.

Thursday morning, Hammond's attorney, Gilbert Rosales, tried to convince Pima County Superior Court Judge Richard Nichols to either release Hammond from jail on his own recognizance or reduce his $50,000 bail.

Rosales told Nichols his client was not one of the "principal" parties in the case, that he just "got caught up" in the situation.

If released from jail, Hammond would stay with his parents and work for his stepfather as a carpenter, Rosales said.

Deputy Pima County Attorney Michael Kelly objected to Hammond's release or having his bail reduced.

Hammond was already awaiting trial on drug possession charges when he was indicted in the current case, Kelly said.

Moreover, authorities believe one of his co-defendants, Robert Ergonis, has fled the country and they aren't sure what Hammond and Ergonis' relationship is, Kelly said.

Nichols refused to release Hammond or lower his bail.

Fulbright has already been released from jail on $50,000 bond.

Hammond and Fulbright are scheduled to appear in court Feb. 12.

Court documents say the four suspects pointed pistols at the man, threatened his life and stole his wallet, cell phone and briefcase and $500 to $600 in cash.

The documents also say Fulbright bit her ex-boyfriend several times while he was tied up and that she stuck a butcher knife to his ear.

After nearly 10 hours, the man was able to grab Fulbright's gun and the gun went off, court documents say. The man escaped, running out of the house screaming for help, according to the documents.

Police said the man's injuries were consistent with his story.

Fulbright told police that her ex-boyfriend stole several items of jewelry from her while she was out of town, according to police reports. She told investigators she knew he'd taken them because he was the only one with access to her house, but he denied taking them when she confronted him.

Fulbright said she "jumped on" him in an attempt to get the truth and he pulled a gun on her, the report says.

A struggle ensued and she knocked the gun from his hand then picked it up. The gun fired into the ground when her ex-boyfriend tried to grab it back from her, she said, and the man left before police arrived, according to the reports.

Fulbright ran in the Miss Arizona contest and was named Miss Pima County in 2005 and Miss Desert Sun in 2006.

She also volunteered in U.S. District Judge Raner Collins' office as an extern.