Details released, alleged gang members charged with kidnapping child
On February 22, officers were called for a reported kidnapping at a carwash on Ash Street in Scranton, where two people took a juvenile.
A friend of the victim called Scranton police and informed them the victim had gotten away from the suspects and was running through the woods near the Skyview apartment, police stated.
A few days later, on February 25, the victim informed officers that he was cleaning his friend's car when he saw a vehicle approach him. Two men in ski masks got out and forced him into the car, as stated in the affidavit.
Burglar allegedly assaults man while sleeping
The victim told investigators that, after being taken, the suspects pointed a gun at him and ordered him to give them his clothing and sneakers. After they robbed the victim, the suspects told him to run, according to court documents. Video surveillance at the carwash captured the incident, confirming the victim's claims of kidnapping.
Police were later informed that the suspects were allegedly associated with a Dominican gang that attended West Scranton High School.
Eventually, both suspects were found, and on February 28, the Scranton Police Department arrested 20-year-old Cesar Rodriguez-Hernandez and a 17-year-old juvenile who has not been identified.
Rodriguez-Hernandez has been charged with robbery threat, kidnapping, and other related offenses.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
El Paso Police fight back vs. catalytic converter theft with VIN etching event
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The El Paso Police Department and Take 5 Oil Change are taking 'proactive steps' to protect vehicle owners from the rising threat of catalytic converter theft. To that end, they will host a Catalytic Converter Theft Prevention Event from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, July 26 at Take 5 Oil, 1341 N. Zaragoza. The event will offer vehicle owners free VIN etching services. El Paso has reported more than 800 catalytic converter thefts during the past three years, El Paso Police said. To help deter these crimes, the El Paso Police Department is providing free vehicle identification number (VIN) etching on catalytic converters. This process involves permanently marking the vehicle's VIN onto the converter, making it more difficult for thieves to sell the stolen part without proof of ownership, police said. This is a preventative measure aimed at reducing thefts and helping identify stolen property more easily, police said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Man faces new charges after Rowan County custody exchange shooting
ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A man is facing more charges after a shooting incident occurred during a child custody exchange in Rowan County. PREVIOUS: Child custody exchange leads to shooting: Sheriff Melvin Bookhart, who was charged with the shooting in this case, has also been charged with Statutory Rape of a Child Less than 15 years old. During the investigation, investigators were able to determine that the female who had brought the child to the home for the child custody exchange had also previously been involved in an intimate relationship with Melvin. Both Melvin and the female admitted that the child was conceived during their relationship. Investigators were able to determine that at the time of that intimate relationship, Melvin was 37 and the female was 14. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Niagara couple's Caribbean vacation from hell
A dream holiday for a St. Catharines couple celebrating their second anniversary together and her birthday turned into a 100-day Dominican nightmare that flipped their life upside down, forced them to remortgage their home and left them rattled and unnerved. It's an ordeal that Zach Crawford and Cassandra DiPietro — falsely accused of drug smuggling — can't forget, though they wish they could. They still aren't sleeping well as they try to process the trauma of Dominican jail cells, court proceedings in a language they didn't understand and anxiety over how long their financial resources would hold out. Crawford, 31, had never travelled outside Canada before the March trip to Punta Cana. 'I didn't know if I would like a long stay, so five days was perfect for us,' he said. 'I am more of a camping and outdoors guy, so we did excursions for dune buggies and ATVs and stayed on the beach a lot. We went to some shows and enjoyed the buffets.' Their lives started unravelling at the airport in the Dominican Republic while waiting for their WestJet flight to take them home. They had passed every checkpoint, including a drug-sniffing dog, and boarded the plane, but noticed their suitcases on the tarmac, separate from everybody else's. 'I asked a flight attendant to please make sure the suitcases get on the plane, and she said they would check for us,' Crawford said. 'Ten minutes went by, and I asked the flight attendant again. This time I didn't get an answer. 'Then we saw somebody boarding the plane with a high-vis vest, and he told us to come with him.' Things went downhill fast. A half-dozen drug control officers who didn't speak English escorted them to a secure area in the terminal. One of the officers used Google Translate to tell them there were warrants out for their arrest. 'At his point, I'm thinking, 'What the hell?'' Crawford said. No one had tampered with DiPietro's suitcases. There were no drugs in them. However, someone had copied the routing sticker attached to her suitcase. The sticker was printed with a shortened version of her name and attached to a third suitcase they had never seen before. That suitcase was packed with marijuana. They requested a translator but had to rely on Google Translate. Crawford was presented with five documents in Spanish to sign. 'I signed one because they indicated that it would get my suitcase back,' Crawford said. DiPietro, 30, is a registered practical nurse at the Marotta Family Hospital in St. Catharines. She said she was having a panic attack and started to cry. One of the officers pointed her iPhone at her face to unlock it. 'They were sitting there laughing at us, not telling us what's going on, not giving us a translator,' DiPietro said. 'They seemed to enjoy our discomfort. The agents took pictures and videos of us on the way out of the airport in handcuffs like we were animals on parade.' The officers used a pickup truck without seatbelts to transfer them to a Dirección Nacional de Control de Drogas compound in Punta Cana. The agency, known by the acronym DNC, focuses on drug-related crime. High brick walls topped with barbed wire surrounded the detention centre. The agents were armed with assault rifles and handguns. They were having a barbecue in the courtyard as DiPietro and Crawford were led to separate holding cells. 'I keep a low profile in life,' Crawford said. 'I restarted my social media accounts for the first time in years to spread information around the GoFundMe. It was so strange. I try to be kind and respectful to everyone. I was speechless. It was so random.' DiPietro said their friends at home were shocked. Zach had never smoked marijuana. She had never smoked a cigarette. 'When I was in jail, the inmates told me the Dominican makes money off tourism, tourism crime, and drugs,' Crawford said. 'They got us for all three, and then made a profit holding us and dragging out this case.' Their story is similar to that of a Burlington resident, David Bennett, who Dominican authorities arrested in Punta Cana over accusations of smuggling drugs. Bennett endured a 71-day ordeal in the Caribbean country until the charges were withdrawn in April. David Bennett arrived at Pearson airport Friday night. Crawford and DiPietro were detained on a Friday evening. Crawford was released on Saturday on a $10,000 cash bond. He was free to return to Canada but wasn't going anywhere without DiPietro, who had a hearing scheduled Monday, where the court would charge her and issue a travel ban. 'The cells were at the end of a corridor, and it was pitch black,' Crawford said. 'The cop used the flashlight on his phone to look through a ring with dozens of keys to find the right one. I couldn't see anybody's faces in the jail cell. I didn't know what I was going into.' On his release, Crawford had contacted family and friends at home. DiPietro's mother found them a lawyer and jetted to the Dominican Republic with her boyfriend. Crawford said when they met the prosecutor, he told them the DNC had 'nothing on them and charges didn't make sense,' but since the investigation had started, there was no way to avoid the process. The court released DiPietro on a $6,000 cash bond after her Dominican lawyer 'fought like hell all day' to get the charges withdrawn. They initially stayed in a hotel room before her mother and boyfriend had to return home. Burlington's David Bennett is finally home months after he was detained in Dominican Republic on Crawford and DiPietro then moved from resort to resort, based on which was offering the lowest rate for the week. They also had concerns at home. Their German shepherd puppy, Ranger, was boarding with its breeder/trainer. 'She was happy to take him — for a week — but was wondering when we were going to pick him up,' DiPietro said. 'We didn't have anybody else who we could leave him with. Our friends and family all work full time, and some don't have the space for a dog either.' Their struggle for freedom cost them dearly, starting with lost wages. They drained their line of credit and maxed out credit cards to pay for lawyer fees, bail, accommodations and utilities back home. They had to board Ranger for three months. DiPietro lived with a gnawing fear that she could lose her nursing license. To add insult to injury, they had to pay an extra $60 daily fee at the airport for having stayed in the country for more than 30 days. 'All we wanted was our first vacation together and enjoy the time together and return home to our normal life,' DiPietro said. 'We can't do that because we're still picking up pieces and dealing with the mental-health struggles and everything else that we've had to do to try to rebuild our life.' They have set up a GoFundMe campaign: 'Wrongfully Detained Abroad: Help us Rebuild.' So far, they have raised more than $20,000 of their $80,000 goal. The GoFundMe page says any donation — no matter how small — will make an incredible difference. And if someone is unable to donate, simply sharing their story will help more than they realize. 'It's going to take us a long time to recover from this,' Crawford said. 'I want to marry her, and it's going to take years before we can even think about it financially.' Crawford went to see her in jail on the day after his release and hugged her like he never wanted to let her go. 'The whole time I was in jail, I was just trying to keep my head down,' DiPietro said. 'You don't want to stand out, but you don't want to appear weak. When he was hugging me, I started crying, and then I completely broke down, and I couldn't stop. I was trying my best just to hold it all together.' There were 10 other women in the jail cell. She was the only foreigner. No one spoke English. One woman was in charge. The lawyer brought her food daily and toilet paper. She told DiPietro to slip the prisoner in charge of the cell $10 a day. 'There were one or two girls who kind of looked after me,' DiPietro said. 'You don't have a toothbrush. You don't have soap. The toilet is out in the open. If they are cleaning, you are expected to join in.' They were in contact with the Canadian Embassy almost daily but said the staff couldn't do much to help as the weeks and months went by, though it felt good to speak to someone in English. 'There was no financial assistance, no shelter, the asylum, no help with food,' DiPietro said. 'We gave them our story, and that was it. We had to survive on our own.' 'We were taking it one week at a time,' Crawford said. 'We were under suspicion. We were led to believe it would be a quick turnaround, but it seemed like everyone in government in the Dominican (was) laid back. Their priority is not paperwork. They go at their own pace.' They provided the authorities with proof they owned their own house, copies of their bills. They supplied character witness letters, their records with WestJet showing they have only checked two bags. They also had video footage showing two suitcases at both airports in Canada and Pearson. 'It was an uphill battle just to find all the documents back home, just to get that notarized, and then apostle to just in court,' DiPietro said. 'Everything also had to be translated to Spanish by an official court translator.' A couple of days after their release, they were watching the news in Spanish when they saw the storyline, 'Canadienses arrestados en el aeropuerto por cargos de drogas.' The newscast paired the voice-over with the video of them in handcuffs at the airport. Crawford said they spent their time glued to their phones. The day would start with texts and emails, as well as contacting the embassy and checking with their lawyer. They would leave the room for a 20-minute lunch, followed by more texting and emailing until their 20-minute supper. 'Then we were back in the room again, and before bed, we would watch Spanish TV and try to unwind a little bit,' Crawford said. 'About the only thing we did was go to the beach on the weekend.' By the third month, they had both started to feel numb. 'We started anticipating that things were going to go wrong,' Crawford said. 'We would get a little piece of hope, and it would always come crashing down. You get to the point where you don't want to be too hopeful.' DiPietro said the good news finally came out of the blue on a June day. 'It was like someone finally decided to do paperwork, and then our lawyer was on it immediately and told us all we needed were some signatures,' DiPietro said. Once everything was confirmed, the last couple of hours were excruciating. The lawyer drove them to the airport. They went through the checkpoints and security, waiting for the other shoe to drop. 'I was just relieved when we're in the air,' DiPietro said. 'We were actually going home.' They sailed through customs in Toronto and were on their way home soon after landing. 'I don't mind talking about it, but it's overwhelming at the same time,' DiPietro said. 'You start thinking about specific details about things that happened, and they are still in your head. Zach Crawford and Cassandra DiPietro are back in St. Catharines after they were detained in the Dominican Republic for almost three months. 'We know we're cleared of everything, but there's always that thought about flying. What if it's in a record somewhere? What if we get questioned about the Dominican? We don't want to go through that again.' So, is there any international travel in their future? 'We're just going to go camping in Ontario from here on out, take Ranger with us and find a nice spot somewhere,' Crawford said. 'That's the safest thing for us.' Crawford said spending months in 'fight-or-flight mode' left them exhausted. They took a month-long break and are decompressing by living a quiet life. Crawford and DiPietro said they are sharing their story not just to ask for help but also to raise awareness because it could happen to anyone, anywhere. 'If there's one thing we've learned, it's how critical it is to know your rights and how important it is to understand the risks and be aware of what little protections exist when you're abroad,' DiPietro said. 'We hope that by sharing our story, others will be better prepared than we were.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
