MU teacher flees the country

Police say a former M.U. Spanish professor accused in a kidnapping and rape case has been in Venezuela since July 7th. Ronald Karjala spent some time in Venezuela before coming to Columbia in 1997. Police think he is hiding there and trying to avoid extradition. He may be out of reach of prosecutors. Venezuela’s constitution does not allow its nationals to be extradited. Detective Steve Monticelli says Karjala kidnapped his former girlfriend on July 5th. Karjala supposedly took her to an apartment the suspect had specially rented and modified for the attack, spending thousands of dollars on sound insulation to muffle her cries. She was strapped in a specially-made chair for several hours before escaping.