He always either holding my hair or holding my wrist. Had me like under his arm the whole time. He didn't get out of the car at all that day. He did not let me out of the car at all. At one point he grabbed the seat belt and like wrapped it around my neck and told me that you know that he knew I cheated on him and he was willing to kill me over it. On September 6th, 2024, troopers in Macomb County conducted a traffic stop on a stolen vehicle. Inside the vehicle, troopers discovered 42 g of cocaine and 254 g of methamphetamine. One of the suspects, Dakota Varana, had to be subdued by troopers during the incident. Despite the drugs found in the vehicle, Dakota was released from jail the very same day on a personal recognizance bond, even though he had also violated his probation. With no vehicle of his own, Dakota called his ex-girlfriend, Jane, asking her to pick him up from jail. Jane drove from her home in Warren, Michigan, all the way to the Macomb County Jail to get him. But shortly after picking him up, the situation escalated. At 3:00 a.m. the following morning, Jane's mother received an alarming phone call from Jane, who indicated something was terribly wrong. And so I called my mom and I said that it was like he he you know he said don't let me go home. And I kind of like slipped it in there so that she knew he got mad at me after cuz he's anytime I called like he made me call him to speak to her. >> So what do you mean something like that? Like what? Like like that's the only way I can come home. Over the next 2 days, Jane remained with Dakota as he drove around Michigan, allegedly stealing from Home Depots. The day after the alarming phone call, Jane slipped a note to a gas station clerk in Livingston County. The note indicated she was being held against her will and asked the clerk to contact her mother, but not the police. Both the clerk and Jane's mother immediately contacted authorities. Deputies with the Livingston County Sheriff's Office immediately flagged the vehicle as wanted in connection with a kidnapping and surrounding law enforcement agencies. The following day, detectives with the Westland Police Department's Special Investigations Unit were actively searching for both Jane and Dakota. 3C priority traffic. Got one taking off. Eastbound, Michigan. Approaching Merriman here. I'll get the plate in a second. It's a felony in one vehicle out of Warren. Speed 60, 70. Medium traffic. Still it's not Eastbound, approaching Oh, he crashed. He just hit a We're still eastbound, but he just hit a white van. Coming up to Henry Ruff. Eastbound. He's 85. 85. 68 where you were just confirmed. The vehicle is a stolen vehicle. >> [music] >> Affirmed. Still eastbound. He just jumped over the median. All right, we're back westbound. He's got a flat tire. We're back westbound, Michigan. >> [music] >> Speed's 50. Edward Union Charles 2795. EUC 2795, still westbound now. The exchange is Lafayette. We're approaching Middlebelt. Through the red here. Through Middlebelt. All right, we're northbound Middlebelt through Michigan. Westbound Wellesley from Middlebelt. Through the stop sign at Meadow Lane, still westbound Wellesley. He's going to be crashing out or bailing here in a sec. Doing the flip on Wellesley. His front driver's tire is about Steinhauer Steinhauer from Highway. Got one Steinhauer. Approaching Western. He's bailing. He's bailing. Stop. Stop. Police, stop. He's northbound through the house here. I got him on foot. White t-shirt, blue jeans. White t-shirt, blue jeans, white We got the dog over here. What's he doing in the car? Yes, please. Okay. Okay. Okay. Come on. Relax. 10 Mile northbound. 10 Mile northbound. What's going on, Jane? Did he call an ambulance? I need him to go to the station. >> [gasps] >> I need to breathe. >> [gasps] >> Westbound. Now he's northbound again. Stop. 301 radio. I'm sorry. 301. Copy. One in custody. The subject [clears throat] is behind the car. He hit Woo. Confirm in custody. Affirmed. Good job, folks. Affirmed. One in custody. Get him out of the car. Let me get up. Yeah. Uh I'm on 4 blocks now. Yeah. Yeah. I'll give you the right direction. Did you eat something? Yeah, we got one in my car here. Pull up your car right up there. Opposite. Yeah. Pull up your car right up here. You got to get her out of here. Yeah, I'll get him over here. Wherever I pulled out of here, he was on foot. Turn straight back. Straight, yeah. All right. I'm pretty sure I got my directions all up in here. That's that's why we're charging you. We're going to tell you where you're going. That's where you're going. SO THAT'S ALL RIGHT. WE'RE NOT DOING THAT. YOU'RE KILLING ME. WE'RE NOT DOING THAT. OH MY GOD. I can't help it. We're not doing You're hurting me. Okay, we're not >> Oh, you're killing me. Then stop banging your head. >> myself. You said you were going to kill yourself before you let them kill you. Stop banging YOUR HEAD. DON'T TALK TO ME. I'M GOING to kill myself BEFORE YOU LET THEM KILL ME. I ASKED FOR HELP. THEY'RE NOT GIVING ME MY MEDICATION. THEY'RE GIVING YOU HELP NOW. THE RESCUE IS COMING. I have a mental DISORDER AND THEY'RE LETTING IT HAPPEN. >> OKAY. We have an ambulance coming for you. Sit back. Please help me. I'm asking for help. I'll let you do what you got to do now. All right, man. So, what's going to happen is [snorts] you're going to go over to Warren. I don't know what you got going on at Warren. I don't know. It's it's it's their it's their case. Okay, so you'll have to We're going to go up to Warren and meet with them and then they'll take you from there, okay? All right. I'm just glad you're safe, okay? So just keep in mind you're not in any trouble, okay? So this is just an interview to talk to you about everything that occurred from Friday, okay? So I just kind [snorts] of want you to start from the beginning and just kind of make sure you're very thorough on what occurred, okay? So I mean you you remember that being said. I know obviously it's kind of been a traumatic incident. Probably a lot of stuff happened over the past couple days. >> Friday night he said that he had been arrested in Macomb County and that they were releasing him on bond and that he needed a ride to get picked up. So I went and I drove up there. So that she's coming to get me. She's pissed off. So I had my aunt give her money to come get me. And she drove all the way there to get me. And she got me. As soon as we got there, she was hugging me and kissing me. I was rubbing her belly. About 6 hours. And I get up there and he's at someone's house. He like he got um like a cab or Uber or something to somebody's house. You know, a little bit of the car ride is okay and then maybe like about 3 hours in the car ride, he just starts like getting mad at me, accusing me of like cheating on him. And the whole way, when we get almost to her house, and she's like um when we get in one, she's like, "I was going to sneak you in, but I'll just come with you. My parents don't want me to come with you." And I don't feel safe at his house, you know what I mean? I don't go there anymore. And um he's like, "I'm going to go there. I'll go I'll go home with you and I'll sleep in your car, you know." So, from there he starts fighting with me and pushing me into the passenger seat and is getting in the driver seat. And I'm like still buckled in and I'm trying to like unbuckle and he elbowed me and uh busted my lip open and I started bleeding. There's blood all over my car. >> She's gave herself over 100 black eyes since we've been together, herself. So, you you don't know who you're dealing with. You're really dealing with a mental patient. I won't lie to you. I've got 100 witnesses. So, whatever you think is going on, like this is some sweet innocent girl, you got the whole game Okay, I keys he violated his tether now by getting arrested up north. I believe that he did that because they told him like if he violated or or something happened if he got another charge between the time that he from now that he was supposed to go to jail, that he was going to get like a full term. >> I didn't know nothing about this unlawful imprisonment, nothing about this CSC, none of that shit. I was trying to cut it out. I got a tether on and it's dead. Right? Why is it dead? Cuz when I was just in jail in Mackinac, they kept my tether and I went to the tether place. I went with my mom in there both days in a row to try to get my charger and no one's been there. She was going today. We're going today to pick it up. >> He's like, "I just you know, I just need you to be here with me right now and like I'll let you go home, you know." Um I just need to get a phone and get some clothes and stuff like that. I'll let you go home. We slept, woke up the next morning and he told me to call my mom and I said, "I just don't know what to even say to her, you know what I mean?" I was like, "I'll call her a little later like once I've got my like head on my shoulders a little bit." And um so we got up, we checked out of the room and we drove back to that house and basically did the same thing the next day. I never held her against her will, none of that shit, bro. She told her parents that because she don't want them mad at her. At this point he was like accusing me of like cheating on him and like sleeping with his friend and he was trying to get into my phone. And he was trying to recover like conversations on my phone and he goes in and uses this guy's tablet and is trying to do like a data recovery on this guy's tablet to try to find like conversations and stuff. And this guy's house was definitely a dope house. Like it I think they were talking about the house had been raided the night before. We didn't end up any finding anywhere to go sleep, so we slept at the rest stop at um Belleville, 94 in Belleville. So, we slept there and woke up this morning and I could tell that getting more worried, you know, about what he was going to do. I asked him if I could go pee and he said, "No." He said there was a cop inside and he wasn't going to let me go pee. He was afraid that I was going to get him arrested. And now I even took her back. She went in the McDonald's by herself. You know what I'm saying? To use the bathroom. Went in the Speedway by herself. Like I don't know what the fuck they're selling you, but they're mad at her just in the car. That's it. They're trying to get something out of it. She's mad that I'm having a baby with another woman. >> [snorts] >> Like and she was even even at one point she was freaking out, fucking head butting me. All right. Like I'm not no weirdo. I didn't rape her. I love her. My baby's inside of her. I take care of her. Her other kid I take care of. Me and her mom don't get along at all. Her family don't like me. They told her they'll cut her out of the will, they'll cut her off of her money, everything for her together and we got a baby together. And we went to Wayne, this house in Wayne where there was a girl that was arrested with us. Who I have known her. I've seen her um a few times. Said, "I need I need somewhere to go. I can't keep driving around. Like I'm going to get pulled over. Something's going to happen. Like I need to come up with money." I know he was trying to come up with money. Um basically like he told me a few times that he was trying to come up with money to leave state. And I I was supposed to be at probation between two to four. And they were going to take me to get some clothes and take me there and that's kind of when this all happened. They I know they've got her they took her into custody. Um she did not know that he was like holding me or anything like that, you know, but she she did ask me when we got in the house, she was like, "Do you she's like, are you okay?" And I was like, "Yeah." Cuz we've talked a few times, you know. She's like, "Are you okay?" And she said, "Do you want to go home?" And I said, "Yeah, I want to go home, you know." And so I think she kind of had like a like a gut feeling and I told him I said, "There's a there's a police officer right here." And he goes, "Where?" And I I pointed and we were like facing facing this way and Westland was face facing this way. I told him there's a police officer right there and off and and the officer got behind us and turned the lights on and >> So, he took off like he got out of the car or was he No, took off down the street in the car. When they turned the lights on, he said, "I'm going to run, you know." And I just kind of put my seatbelt on and like braced myself. He started taking off down Michigan Avenue going in and out of the traffic and stuff. And I kept telling him I was like, "You need to stop and either get out and run or like like something you're going to you're going to get us killed, you know." Um we went through the neighborhood and was trying to find somewhere where he could go like run through. I think but at that point in time the tire was blown and something on the car is not right, so the car stopped driving. And you know, been with him before like I was really trying to stay away this time. So, I wanted her to know like I wasn't doing this to slap her in the face or like, "I didn't do it. Like I I didn't want to be away. I've been trying to get my life back together." Anytime that I needed to go pee, he went in with me. To the bathroom? Yes. Okay. Yes. So, while you're at the gas station, McDonald's, stuff like that? Yes. Okay. Got you. Yeah, and he would come in the With the exception of that one time was was you talked to the telemarketer. >> Yes. Yes. >> Okay. So, if he was driving, how was he holding onto you? He'd be driving [snorts] like this with his hand >> Yeah, or by my hair. Okay. Got you. So, he he would hold onto your hair. Yes. Um so, the township and anything else that needs to be explained that I'm No. No? You can go and check all the video footage. Okay. Okay. So, make sure I have that documented, okay? And so, again like I said, anything else because again I I have a stuff that can disprove a lot of what you're saying. But again, I'm just giving you an opportunity to You can disprove it. I told you everything is true. I'm giving you an opportunity to talk to me. >> you everything is true. >> is what you're what's happening, okay? And that's again, that's fine. I don't have an issue with that. I'm going to relay all this information in my >> You don't believe my story. No, I actually really don't I don't believe you. What don't you believe? What don't you believe? Your I'm telling you I don't believe you for a second. So, I'm just [clears throat] but I'm being straight up with you. I'm trying to be fair to you to tell you that this is your opportunity to talk to me and you don't want to talk to me. You don't want to tell me the truth. I told you everything is true. You've you've been around a while. You've been through this a lot, okay? I have I don't ever talk to the detective, never. You've been around I don't ever talk to the detective, bro. You've been through a lot. You know what's going on and that's fine. I don't have an issue with that. I'm trying to tell you that you're wrong. >> I'm You're so wrong. Listen, man. You're not going to make me second guess myself. I don't care if you don't Listen. I don't care. I'm going to tell you for sure you're wrong. You are you are This is I'm just trying to give you a fair opportunity to talk to me. I said lie detector test. I We don't take lie detector tests. Why not? Okay. We don't take lie detector tests. You will apologize. Pardon me? You will apologize. Apologize for If we If we didn't take one, cuz you're wrong, bro. Listen. Don't say Listen, I'm going to talk to you about a lot of things. All right. And and figure some stuff out. I'll come and talk to you eventually and say, "Oh man, you're right. That's crazy." I'm not going to come back and talk to you. I'm going to give you your opportunity now to talk to me about what's going on. >> you exactly what happened. Okay. We If you want to run it back, we can go further into detail. >> I don't need to run it back. I want to hear I told you I want to hear it in detail from Thursday night or Friday, whenever she picked you up all the way up until I have especially since like I left him originally, I've wanted to do nothing but get my life back on track and like rebuild and be there for my daughter and you know, obviously have this baby and And your daughter is how old? Three. Okay. And you know, he was like, "I don't care. I've got to figure it out, you know." He did talk about getting money in and leaving state with me. Um but like he is afraid of what is going to happen with hit these these these charges. You sure that's what happened, right? I told you what I told you what happened. Under cut off. I'm just listening to You want to You want to hear what I have to say? I'm going to be straight with you. I Listen to me. Listen to me. You want to hear what you want to hear what I have to tell you? Cuz I'm going to tell you. Listen, I don't care what you got to say. What I said was absolutely 100% the truth. >> dude. No problem at all. If I'm lying, I'm dying. God is my witness. >> at all. Okay. Fair enough, man. I'm very frustrated because again, we want to help you out and you have the right to make your own decisions [clears throat] and you're I just don't want him to get in any more trouble, you know. And I was trying He's in a lot of trouble. He's in a lot. Like he's some some serious serious charges he's got especially up in the UP. He's got He's pretty much pretty much said it's it's kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment. He kidnapped you. I just wanted him to get his life together and I was hoping that he was going to He's not He's not going to get it together and he'll be seeing which is probably going to be prison. For the Mackinac County incident, Dakota was charged with delivery or manufacture of methamphetamine and delivery or manufacture of cocaine. For the kidnapping case, he was charged with unlawful imprisonment, interfering with electronic communications, resisting and obstructing police, and domestic violence. Dakota ultimately pleaded no contest. The unlawful imprisonment charge was reduced to attempted unlawful imprisonment, and the interfering with electronic communications charge was dismissed. For the Mackinac County case, Dakota was sentenced to 3 years and 4 months to 20 years in prison. For the kidnapping case, he received a sentence of 2 to 5 years. Dakota was also sentenced in an unrelated Wayne County home invasion case, receiving 2 years and 6 months to 20 years. All three sentences run concurrently, meaning his earliest possible release date is January 26th, 2028, while his maximum release date would be May 3rd, 2045. Dakota's rear passenger, Rebecca Barron, was also arrested in connection with the Wayne County home invasion case. She was sentenced to 2 to 5 years for unauthorized driving away of an automobile and home invasion. Her earliest release date is February 9th, 2027, with a maximum release date of February 9th, 2030. For help finding domestic violence resources, call 800-799-SAFE or visit thehotline.org.