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ST. LOUIS (AP) - Police are searching for the car thief who got more than he expected when he took an idling car - a toddler in the backseat.

The 2-year-old is OK after the scare late Tuesday in St. Louis.

Police say a car was left running at an ATM. The child's father got out to use the machine and while he was gone, someone stole the car with the child inside.

Police found the car minutes later in an alley. The child slept through the whole ordeal.

Officers are looking at ATM video in an effort to find the suspect.

Published in Local News

   On her first night at home in a decade, relatives of freed kidnapping victim Gina DeJesus huddled around her, sleeping on inflatable mattresses in their living room so the young woman would not have to sleep in an upstairs bedroom similar to the one where she spent much of her captivity, her mother told ABC News in an exclusive interview with David Muir.

   DeJesus, 23, was reunited with her family Wednesday after nearly 10 years spent as the alleged prisoner of Ariel Castro, a man her mother knew for years.

   For years after DeJesus' abduction, Castro, who grew up in the same community as the young woman's mother, Nancy Ruiz, would offer the family his support.

   As recently as last year, Castro, 52, asked Ruiz, "How are you doing?" never indicating he was allegedly keeping her daughter a captive in his Cleveland home just miles from where she lived.

   Ruiz said DeJesus told her that she and two other women, Amanda Berry, 27, and Michelle Knight, 30, were kept chained in the basement of the basement. Later on, they were allowed upstairs and kept in two separate bedrooms for much of the time.

   DeJesus and Knight were often kept in one bedroom. Berry and her daughter, 6, whom she gave birth to while in captivity, were held in a second room, Ruiz said.

   The young women were warned there was an alarm system and that it would go off if they tried to escape, Ruiz added.

   The women were freed on Monday, when Berry screamed for help from behind a locked door, alerting neighbors who helped kick down the door and called police.

   Ruiz said Castro would take Berry's daughters on outings to the park and to church, though the women were never permitted to leave the property themselves.

   Berry's litte girl was never told the real names of the other women in the house because of fears she might reveal those names in public and get Castro in trouble, Ruiz said.

   Castro would bring the women food, which they would cook. Sometimes he would bring them McDonald's food.

   He bought the young women clothes from a local store, Ruiz said, and DeJesus would use the fabric from the clothes to make new outfits, once changing a skirt into a pair of capri pants.

   Castro was arraigned today in an Ohio court on charges of kidnapping and rape. Bond was set at $8 million. He did not enter a plea.

Published in National News

   ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani officials say gunmen have attacked an election rally in the southern Punjab province and abducted the son of former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

   A police official, Abdul Rehman, says gunmen stormed the rally in the town of Multan, opened fire and seized Ali Haider Gilani on Thursday.

   A Punjab government official, Rao Iftikhar Ahmad, says one of Gilani's guards was killed and five people were wounded in the attack.

   Thursday is the last day of campaigning for Pakistan's election scheduled this Saturday.

   But the race has been marred by a string of violent attacks against candidates and election events.

Published in National News

CLEVELAND (AP) - Authorities have filed kidnapping and rape charges against a Cleveland man arrested after three women missing for about a decade were found alive at his home.

Homeowner Ariel Castro was charged Wednesday. Brothers Pedro and Onil Castro are held but face no charges right now.

The men are in custody and can't be reached for comment. Their brother-in-law has said the family is "totally shocked" after hearing about the women at the home.

The three women disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004 and were found Monday after one of them screamed for help to escape and contacted police.

Police say ropes and chains were among evidence collected inside the house. A city councilman says the women were subjected to prolonged sexual and psychological abuse and suffered miscarriages.

Published in National News

   EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) - A former barge worker from Granite City has received the maximum sentence of 20 years for his role in a foiled plot to abduct, extort and electrocute a wealthy metro-east lawyer.

   A federal judge sentenced 46 year old Brett Nash on Thursday, fined him $500 and ordered a mental health evaluation. Nash pleaded guilty in December to a felony count of solicitation of a violent crime.

   Authorities said Nash's scheme involved forcing the intended victim into a hot tub and tossing in a radio to electrocute him. Nash then wanted to throw in the intended victim's cat with the hope that police would think the animal caused the electrocution. The intended victim hasn't been identified.

   Nash argued at the sentencing that he never planned to commit murder.

 
Published in Local News
A St. Louis man is accused of breaking into a south city home, then kidnapping and raping a teenage girl.

Timothy Gilbert faces a dozen charges including kidnapping, sexual abuse, and rape. Police say Gilbert broke into the home in the 3900 block of Delor then took the 16-year-old girl at knife point. That is when Gilbert allegedly spit on the girl and raped her. Investigators say they found Gilbert's DNA on the victim's bra.

He is being held on a 75,000 dollar bond.
Published in Local News
Thursday, 07 February 2013 13:33

Man admits to kidnapping and attempted rape

A St. Louis man has admitted to kidnapping and trying to rape a 15-year-old girl early last year.

Charles Smith said he grabbed the girl was she was walking to her bus stop on February 6 of last year. Smith forced her into his car at knife-point and drove her a few blocks away. That is when he ripped off the teen's pants and shoes. She was able to fight him off and got help from a passing driver.

Prosecutors will ask for life in prison when Smith is sentenced in April.
Published in Local News

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