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Police: Abducted woman’s fight helped save life

By WTOP Staff

SEAN CARLIN
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — An abducted woman’s fighting spirit likely helped keep her alive until law enforcement agents rescued her and arrested her alleged captor, Philadelphia’s police commissioner said Thursday.

“My understanding is, even after she was in the car and bound, she continued to struggle with this guy,” Charles Ramsey told ABC News, hours after police reunited Carlesha Freeland-Gaither with her family at a Maryland hospital.

“She’s got a lot of fight in her,” he said.

Freeland-Gaither, 22, was resting at home in Philadelphia on Thursday and not yet ready to talk publicly about her three-day ordeal. She had some injuries but was generally doing OK, police said. Detectives were giving her time to settle down before completing interviews.

Word of her safe return elated the neighborhood.

“As a mother, you don’t ever want to be without your child no matter what age,” said Vada Fisher, 27, who lives on the same street as Freeland-Gaither’s mother. “I’m glad she’s alive and safe.”

A cousin, Cinquetta Barfield, said Freeland-Gaither’s family will speak to media Thursday evening. Barfield said they had not slept since she disappeared Sunday night.

Law enforcement agents spotted Freeland-Gaither and suspect Delvin Barnes on Wednesday in a car with a broken-out back window in Jessup, Maryland. They arrested Barnes without incident after he stepped out of the car.

Barnes, 37, was being held Thursday at the jail in suburban Baltimore County, said Scott Shellenberger, the state’s attorney for the county.

He is scheduled to have a hearing in suburban Baltimore later Thursday on a charge of being a fugitive from justice in Virginia, according to Shellenberger and online court records. Authorities there said he is wanted in connection with attempted capital murder, assault and malicious injury with acid, explosives or fire.

Barnes couldn’t be reached for comment while in custody.

The Philadelphia U.S. Attorney’s office said Thursday morning no charges have been filed in the abduction case.

Keisha Gaither, who a day earlier had sobbed as she pleaded for the safe return of her kidnapped daughter, smiled as she stood before the microphone Wednesday night at a news conference in Philadelphia.

“I’m taking my baby home. Thank you. Thank you so much,” she said as authorities announced the nursing assistant’s rescue and the arrest of the suspect.

Authorities said there was no indication Freeland-Gaither and the man, who used to live in Philadelphia, knew each other.

“No one else is in danger right now because we got a very dangerous predator off the streets,” Ramsey said.

Authorities credited hard work by law enforcement agents in finding Freeland-Gaither. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents had received information from Richmond, Virginia, to be on the lookout for a vehicle that might have been involved in the abduction, said Tim Jones, resident agent in charge with the ATF in Lanham, Maryland.

ATF agents found the vehicle, which had its rear window kicked out, late Wednesday afternoon on a road in Jessup, he said. A witness to Freeland-Gaither’s abduction Sunday night had said she kicked out some of the car’s windows before the car sped off.

Law enforcement officers saw Barnes and Freeland-Gaither in the car and surrounded it, Jones said.

Barnes climbed from the back seat to the front seat, and that was when agents drove their cars around to block his vehicle in, Jones said. Agents then freed Freeland-Gaither, and she was taken to a hospital, Jones said.

Gaither thanked police and the community for their support. She said she had talked to her daughter by phone and her daughter was distraught.

“She was very upset. She was crying. She just was asking for me, to tell me she loved me, she missed me, to come get her,” she said.

Freeland-Gaither had been last seen on surveillance video being grabbed by a man and pulled toward a car Sunday night as she struggled to get away in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood.

Police and federal authorities had released a stream of images over the past two days from surveillance cameras in Maryland and from a Philadelphia supermarket hours before the abduction.

Freeland-Gaither graduated from high school in Maryland and lived with her grandfather in Philadelphia until a couple of months ago, when she moved in with her boyfriend.

Her grandmother, Ana Mulero, said she has worked with cancer patients and has been pursuing a career in nursing.

___

Associated Press writers Natalie Pompilio and Ron Todt in Philadelphia and Kasey Jones and Juliet Linderman in Baltimore contributed to this report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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