Sex Fugitive, Wife Jailed In Alleged Kidnapping Ruse, Hiding
NEW CASTLE, Pa. (KDKA/AP) - A Pennsylvania man is jailed on charges he missed his sentencing on child-sex charges and his wife is being held, too, for allegedly faking his kidnapping to explain the missed court appearance.
New Castle police say the conspiracy unraveled Wednesday when 37-year-old Larry Cragle was found hiding in an attic crawl space at his home. His 31-year-old wife, Michelle, was arrested on charges that she helped him avoid capture by pretending that she was sexually assaulted last month by three men who then kidnapped her husband.
Police believe that Larry Cragle wasn't kidnapped, but had been hiding in the woods hoping to avoid a decades-long sentence before he returned home where he was arrested.
Larry Cragle's attorney didn't return a call for comment Thursday. Court records don't list an attorney for Michelle Cragle.
Both Cragles are accused of sexually assaulting two children. The couple was also accused of taking nude photos of the children, but those charges were later dropped.
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