Fast police work nabs suspects in Lincoln Heights

CINCINNATI - From Sharonville to Woodlawn to Lincoln Heights, zeroing in on suspects in an apartment building was just the start of some police work worthy of a TV series.

Police are investigating a case where a teenager says she was abducted, taken from place to place, and raped.

Woodlawn police used the victim's cellphone GPS to track her down on Matthews Drive in Lincoln Heights.

Woodlawn detectives then took a gamble. They actually called the phone and got the 17-year-old victim on the line. She said her three abductors were all armed.

"She said she was on Matthews Drive, at an apartment building," recounted Lincoln Heights Sgt. Leroy Smith.  "He asked her, do you see a church? She said yeah."

It turns out there's only one apartment in one building on Matthews Drive with a view of a church.

Lincoln Heights PD surrounded it.

In what Smith said may have been a stalling move, "One of the gentlemen escorted her outside the door and shut the door."

Smith believes the suspects were stalling for time, hiding their weapons and flushing any drugs down the toilet.

Then one by one, in 10 minute intervals, the suspects emerged; Pierre Beal, 29, Orlando Crawford, 33, and Demetrius Price, 25, all of Lincoln Heights.

"Two of the subjects (Crawford and Price) are known felons," Smith said.

Crawford had been convicted of aggravated robbery and involuntary manslaughter, Smith said.

But none of them were carrying weapons like the victim described.

After securing a search warrant, the police moved in.

They had to think like a crook; where would you hide a gun?

The answer? In the walls.

"We couldn't get to them safely, without them accidentally going off, so we had the fire department come in to assist us," Smith said.

One of the guns was stolen from Sharonville, police say.

All the weapons were fully loaded, and at least one had a round chambered, ready to fire.

As for the suspects: "They're locked up at the Hamilton County Justice Center right now with a million dollar bond," Smith said.

The suspects are charged with rape, complicity to rape and illegal possession of firearms.

Police are investigating whether to file further charges for kidnapping.