College Station kidnapping victim in critical condition

A 55-year-old College Station man kidnapped from the gas station where he works was in critical condition Wednesday at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, officials said.

Kevin Garcia was attacked about 3 a.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of Drew’s Exxon in College Station off Texas 6, said Lt. Chuck Fleeger, a College Station police spokesman.

Garcia, a longtime employee of the station, was beaten to the point that he was incapacitated in the parking lot, he said. The suspect, Nathaniel Tillery, 36, shoved Garcia into the bed of Garcia’s pickup and drove off, Fleeger said.

Tillery is from College Station but is thought to be homeless, according to police.

He was arrested about 10 hours later by Fort Worth police at his stepbrother’s house in far north Fort Worth.

“We know for a fact he at least attacked [Garcia] with his hands and fists,” Fleeger said. “We are trying to figure out if he knew him.”

Detectives have not been able to get information from Garcia, Fleeger said. A JPS spokeswoman said he was in critical condition.

The 200-mile drive from College Station usually takes about three hours. Investigators don’t yet know what happened between the 3 a.m. abduction and Tillery’s arrest about 1 p.m., Fleeger said.

Tillery was arrested in the 14200 block of Tijuana Trail in Fort Worth, in front of the house of his stepbrother, who had called 911, the stepbrother told WFAA.

Fort Worth major case investigators are working with College Station detectives on the case.

Tillery remained in the Tarrant County Jail Wednesday with bail set at a total of $520,000. The Brazos County Sheriff’s Department is making arrangements to transport him to College Station.

This story was originally published March 18, 2015 at 8:14 PM with the headline "College Station kidnapping victim in critical condition."