A Philadelphia man has been charged with holding a deaf and mute man hostage for four months, while collecting his disabled victim’s social security checks. According to police, Dwayne Young, 56, kept 63-year-old William Richardson locked in a basement while collecting the older man’s social security benefits. According to police, Young would threaten Richardson into regularly signing the checks.
Young’s home was raided by police on Sunday, leading to his arrest when Richardson was found locked in the basement. Case investigators say that Young kidnapped Richardson in April, while working nearby as a handyman in South Philadelphia. Captain Laurence Nodiff of the police force said that Philadelphia police will look into whether Young committed similar offenses against his common-law wife, who died in March, just a month before the kidnapping.
Young was arraigned on Wednesday and remains in custody with bail of $1 million dollars. A lawyer has not been assigned to him.
