Tag: Craigslist
Idaho Teen Allegedly Raped by Truck Driver He Met Through Craigslist Ad
A semi-truck driver from Iowa has been arrested after allegedly raping a teen boy in Idaho who was looking for a ride, East Idaho News reported on Tuesday.
After a yearlong investigation, 31-year-old Kyle Townsend has been charged with one count of lewd conduct with a child younger than 16.
Court documents show that Townsend responded to a 14-year-old boy’s Craigslist ad in February 2015. The teen wrote that he was looking for a ride to Nevada.
Records show Townsend responded to the ad within minutes and told the teen he would give him a ride for free. Townsend and the boy agreed to meet in the Dillard’s parking lot at the Grand Teton Mall.
The teen told detectives Townsend was driving a blue semi-truck. It was later discovered the vehicle was owned by a local trucking company Townsend worked for at the time.
The teen said he entered Townsend’s truck and they drove for a few minutes before Townsend told him to remove his pants.
Court records show Townsend forced the boy to perform sexual acts and then raped him. The teen reported to police he vomited after the assault and Townsend kicked him out of the truck saying the boy was “too easy.”
Investigators obtained video surveillance that shows the teen being dropped off near the Target parking lot in Ammon. The boy called police and reported he had been kidnapped and raped but later said he lied about being abducted.
When police arrived they noted the teen as being visibly shaken and was crying when asked what had happened to him.
Police were able to identify Townsend as a suspect through his cell number and a photo line-up.
They tracked the GPS location of the semi Townsend was driving to the locations and times of the reported pick up, rape and drop off. Police also verified the corresponding locations through cell phone towers used from Townsend’s cell phone.
Weeks after the assault, another teenage boy contacted police and reported interactions with Townsend.
The teen reported that Townsend emailed him nude photos and tried to meet up with him in the Idaho Falls Wal-Mart parking lot. Police obtained a search warrant for Townsend’s email and verified the report.
An arrest warrant was issued for Townsend in January and detectives spent months trying to track him down.
He was located in September and extradited back to Idaho Falls on Oct. 6.
Townsend is held in the Bonneville County Jail on $50,000 bond. He was arraigned on Oct. 7 and will make another court appearance later this month.
via: http://ktla.com/2016/10/11/idaho-teen-allegedly-raped-by-truck-driver-he-met-through-craigslist-ad/
Woman hired off Craigslist steals $14,000 from company on first day of work.
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – Police say a woman hired off Craigslist stole more than $14,000 from a company after just one day of work.
Angela Phan, 35, was hired to do accounting work for the company for one day. She was mailed a paycheck with the account and routing number of the business account, which Phan admitted were used to transfer $14,720.21 into her account between the months of July 2014 and December 2015.
The bank that the business account was with told the victim that at least one of the unauthorized transactions was made to an account connected to Phan.
Phan is facing one count of felony identity theft in St. Louis County. Her bail was set at $50,000.
Fake Craigslist movers steal everything from St. Louis County couple
ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) – A St. Louis County couple used Craigslist to hire a company to help them move to Charlotte, NC. Police say the men loaded their belongings into a U-Haul truck, got paid, and then stole everything.
The victim hired Robinson Moving LLC after seeing an ad posted to Craigslist. Three movers showed up at his home at the 1200 block of Pinecrest Lane on on July 25, 2015. He paid one of the men $1,100 in cash to for the move. Another $300 was to be paid upon delivery.
The three men loaded the household items of the victim and his wife into the truck and drove away. The couple later received a phone call from the driver of the truck. He said they needed to load the property onto a different truck but delivery was still expected as scheduled.
Police say that after the victim and his wife flew to Charlotte they received another phone call from the driver. He said the truck was experiencing mechanical problems and was stopped on the highway near their new home.
That is the last time the victim and his wife heard from the movers. The property was never delivered to the victim’s new home. The Craigslist ad, to which the couple had initially responded, was taken down.
The victim estimates the value of the property taken from his home to be nearly $30,000.
Police have identified a suspect in this case based on the phone number in the Craigslist ad. Deandre Robinson, 33, was identified by the victim in a photo lineup as, “The man that seemed in charge.”
Robinson was arrested several months later. He is no longer in police custody. He is facing felony stealing charges.
via: http://fox2now.com/2015/12/28/fake-craigslist-movers-steal-everything-from-st-louis-county-couple/
Local veteran missing after going to buy car via Craigslist
ST. LOUIS (KTVI) – A local Army veteran’s family fears the worst after he goes missing. They suspect Craigslist may have played a role in the disappearance.
According to investigators with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, 22-year-old Robert Polk went missing Saturday. Polk’s family believes something went wrong after he left home looking for a vehicle he saw on Craigslist and never returned.
“I fear that he got on Craigslist looking for a car. I’m thinking he met up with the wrong person,” said Hayleen Jones, Polk’s mother.
Polk was last seen around 7 p.m. on October 3, wearing a black sweatshirt and black sweatpants.
His family said he worked through a temp agency and had been saving his hard-earned money to buy a car. Polk’s mother said he was very excited after searching various Craigslist posts and finally found a car he liked.
“Went to go meet the person that to buy the car, he’d been talking to someone about a black Mustang and has not been back since,” she said.
Polk was considered a standout football player at Hazelwood East High School. He served two years in the Army and remains on reserve list. His mother said he loved serving his country.
“He had traveled places before he never been. He was just proud. I was a proud mom that he went into the Army and did something with his life,” Jones said.
“He’s been missing too many days. He’s not a child to be gone 24 hours without calling.”
Anyone with information on Robert Polk’s whereabouts should call 911.
via: http://fox2now.com/2015/10/08/local-veteran-missing-after-going-to-buy-car-via-craigslist/