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| Cleveland suspect Ariel Castro was investigated by police for child kidnap | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The suspect accused of holding three women captive in Ohio for a decade was investigated by police in 2004 for abduction and endangering children after he kept a boy on his school bus for two hours. | The suspect accused of holding three women captive in Ohio for a decade was investigated by police in 2004 for abduction and endangering children after he kept a boy on his school bus for two hours. |
| Ariel Castro, 52, was revealed to have driven the boy around instead of dropping him off at school, at one point ordering him to "lay down, bitch". | Ariel Castro, 52, was revealed to have driven the boy around instead of dropping him off at school, at one point ordering him to "lay down, bitch". |
| Castro, who was fired from his job as a school bus driver in 2012, has been arrested with his two brothers Pedro, 54, and Onil, 50, in connection with the imprisonment of three women who escaped from his home in a western neighbourhood of Cleveland on Monday night. | |
| Senior police officers have insisted they did everything they could in the course of the decade to try and find the women: Michelle Knight, who was abducted in August 2002 aged 21, Amanda Berry, who vanished the following April at age 16, and Gina DeJesus, who was 14 when she disappeared in April 2004. | Senior police officers have insisted they did everything they could in the course of the decade to try and find the women: Michelle Knight, who was abducted in August 2002 aged 21, Amanda Berry, who vanished the following April at age 16, and Gina DeJesus, who was 14 when she disappeared in April 2004. |
| But a disciplinary file prepared by Cleveland metropolitan school district shows that he was investigated by police, shortly before DeJesus went missing, in connection with two serious alleged crimes: abduction and child endangering. | But a disciplinary file prepared by Cleveland metropolitan school district shows that he was investigated by police, shortly before DeJesus went missing, in connection with two serious alleged crimes: abduction and child endangering. |
| On 26 January 2004 Castro picked up two children to take them to a special program to treat their attention deficit disorder at Wade Park elementary school in Cleveland. Castro dropped off one of the children but according to the police incident report the other child, a boy, was not escorted to school and stayed on the bus. | On 26 January 2004 Castro picked up two children to take them to a special program to treat their attention deficit disorder at Wade Park elementary school in Cleveland. Castro dropped off one of the children but according to the police incident report the other child, a boy, was not escorted to school and stayed on the bus. |
| Castro came back to the bus and drove it, with the boy still present, to Wendy's fast-food restaurant where he had lunch, leaving the child in the vehicle alone. As he did so, he told the boy: "Lay down, bitch". | Castro came back to the bus and drove it, with the boy still present, to Wendy's fast-food restaurant where he had lunch, leaving the child in the vehicle alone. As he did so, he told the boy: "Lay down, bitch". |
| After eating, the report says, Castro "returned to the bus and drove around for a while. [He] parked the bus at a bus parking lot for a period of time" before finally dropping off the child about two hours after he had picked him up. | After eating, the report says, Castro "returned to the bus and drove around for a while. [He] parked the bus at a bus parking lot for a period of time" before finally dropping off the child about two hours after he had picked him up. |
| In the course of that inquiry police visited Castro's house in Seymour Avenue where on Monday night the three women escaped. But finding no one at home, officers went away and never came back. | In the course of that inquiry police visited Castro's house in Seymour Avenue where on Monday night the three women escaped. But finding no one at home, officers went away and never came back. |
| The police report said the investigation found no evidence of sexual assault or other assault of the boy. The inquiry concluded that Castro had broken no law, though the school board suspended him for 60 days for the incident. | The police report said the investigation found no evidence of sexual assault or other assault of the boy. The inquiry concluded that Castro had broken no law, though the school board suspended him for 60 days for the incident. |
| The disciplinary file also shows that he was reprimanded by his employers on three other occasions. He was suspended for a further 60 days for having made a U-turn in a school bus packed with students amid rush-hour traffic, an incident for which he apologised. | The disciplinary file also shows that he was reprimanded by his employers on three other occasions. He was suspended for a further 60 days for having made a U-turn in a school bus packed with students amid rush-hour traffic, an incident for which he apologised. |
| He was also castigated for having used a school bus to do grocery shopping, and most recently for having left a bus at Scranton school for four hours to return home. In his self-defence he handwrote a letter to the board in which he said: "I felt tired that day." | He was also castigated for having used a school bus to do grocery shopping, and most recently for having left a bus at Scranton school for four hours to return home. In his self-defence he handwrote a letter to the board in which he said: "I felt tired that day." |
| For these cumulative breaches of the rules Castro was sacked from his bus driving job in November 2012. | For these cumulative breaches of the rules Castro was sacked from his bus driving job in November 2012. |
| Authorities gave more details about the case on Tuesday. The ordeal of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight ended with a frantic 911 call on Monday afternoon, police said. | Authorities gave more details about the case on Tuesday. The ordeal of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight ended with a frantic 911 call on Monday afternoon, police said. |
| While Castro was out Berry managed to alert neighbours by hammering on the front door. Police said they were at the scene within minutes and rescued a six-year-old girl, DeJesus and Knight. | While Castro was out Berry managed to alert neighbours by hammering on the front door. Police said they were at the scene within minutes and rescued a six-year-old girl, DeJesus and Knight. |
| The mayor of Cleveland, Frank Jackson, admitted that the case was disturbing. "We are happy that they are returned to us. But we have several unanswered questions. Why were they taken, how were they taken and how did they remain undetected in the city of Cleveland for this time?" | The mayor of Cleveland, Frank Jackson, admitted that the case was disturbing. "We are happy that they are returned to us. But we have several unanswered questions. Why were they taken, how were they taken and how did they remain undetected in the city of Cleveland for this time?" |
| Residents recounted the dramatic rescue scenes. One neighbour, Charles Ramsey, told a local television station that he heard screaming and saw Berry, whom he did not recognise, at a door that would open just wide enough to fit a hand through. He said she was trying desperately to get out and pleaded for help to reach police, so he kicked down the door to free her. | Residents recounted the dramatic rescue scenes. One neighbour, Charles Ramsey, told a local television station that he heard screaming and saw Berry, whom he did not recognise, at a door that would open just wide enough to fit a hand through. He said she was trying desperately to get out and pleaded for help to reach police, so he kicked down the door to free her. |
| Neighbours then helped her to make a 911 call. A recording of the call was released on Tuesday, in which she said: "I'm Amanda Berry. I've been on the news for the last 10 years." She begged for police officers to come to the home before a man who had taken her returned. "I've been kidnapped and I've been missing for 10 years," she told the dispatcher. "And I'm here. I'm free now." | Neighbours then helped her to make a 911 call. A recording of the call was released on Tuesday, in which she said: "I'm Amanda Berry. I've been on the news for the last 10 years." She begged for police officers to come to the home before a man who had taken her returned. "I've been kidnapped and I've been missing for 10 years," she told the dispatcher. "And I'm here. I'm free now." |
| Officials said the women appeared to be in good health and were taken to a hospital to be evaluated and reunited with relatives. An FBI agent, Vicki Anderson, said she had met the three women a few hours after their escape. "They looked good," she told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Thinner than their pictures and with big deer eyes, but they were all smiles. They were very happy to be with their families." | Officials said the women appeared to be in good health and were taken to a hospital to be evaluated and reunited with relatives. An FBI agent, Vicki Anderson, said she had met the three women a few hours after their escape. "They looked good," she told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Thinner than their pictures and with big deer eyes, but they were all smiles. They were very happy to be with their families." |
| Authorities did not say whether the women had been sexually assaulted and added that given the trauma of what the women had endured, they were trying to be delicate with their investigation. | Authorities did not say whether the women had been sexually assaulted and added that given the trauma of what the women had endured, they were trying to be delicate with their investigation. |
| Neighbours said they had previously reported suspicious activity at the house to police. Elsie Cintron, 55, who lives three doors away from the Castro home, told the Guardian that about a year ago her granddaughter reported seeing a a naked woman crawling on her hands and knees out of the house. The woman returned to the house but the granddaughter called the police – Cintron said she believed they failed to follow it up. | Neighbours said they had previously reported suspicious activity at the house to police. Elsie Cintron, 55, who lives three doors away from the Castro home, told the Guardian that about a year ago her granddaughter reported seeing a a naked woman crawling on her hands and knees out of the house. The woman returned to the house but the granddaughter called the police – Cintron said she believed they failed to follow it up. |
| Juan Perez, 27, who lives two doors down from Castro's home, said that he and his mother heard a scream coming from the basement about three years ago. "It was the kind of scream that made you uncomfortable so my mom called the police," he said. | Juan Perez, 27, who lives two doors down from Castro's home, said that he and his mother heard a scream coming from the basement about three years ago. "It was the kind of scream that made you uncomfortable so my mom called the police," he said. |
| Officials did not address those incidents at a press conference on Tuesday but admitted that they had visited the Castro house twice in the past 15 years. Martin Flask, the director of public safety in Cleveland, said Ariel Castro reported a fight in the street in 2000, before the women disappeared, but no arrests were made. In 2004 officers went to Castro's home after the incident with the boy on his bus. | Officials did not address those incidents at a press conference on Tuesday but admitted that they had visited the Castro house twice in the past 15 years. Martin Flask, the director of public safety in Cleveland, said Ariel Castro reported a fight in the street in 2000, before the women disappeared, but no arrests were made. In 2004 officers went to Castro's home after the incident with the boy on his bus. |
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