Man accusedof imprisoning13-year-old
BUFFALO, N.Y. – A 26-year-old man remained jailed Monday on charges of holding a 13-year-old runaway in his house for six months, having sex with her over 100 times and making her baby sit his 1-year-old son.
Michael Abdallah pleaded not guilty in Buffalo City Court to second-degree rape, unlawful imprisonment and custodial interference Saturday, a day after being arrested at his home.
Many questions about the case remain. Police spokesman Michael DeGeorge was unable to say Monday where the 13-year-old girl is now, or how her ordeal ended. She was held from last July to December. Authorities offered no explanation for the time lag preceding his arrest.
A police report said Abdallah’s apartment had no doorknobs and the exit door could only be opened by using a key to unlock two deadbolts. Police also found marijuana inside the home, the report said.
The arrest shocked neighbors, who said they neither saw nor heard anything unusual at the house, even during the summer months when they had windows open and spent time outside.
George Kimble, who lives four doors away, said his daughters socialized with Abdallah’s next-door neighbors, spending time on the porch during nice weather. Neighbors, he said, were often out gardening.
“If somebody was in there, they could have screamed, yelled, hollered, thrown a chair through the window,” Kimble said.
Court officials said Abdallah did not have a lawyer Saturday. He is due back in court Thursday.
A man who answered the phone at Abdallah’s brother’s house Monday said there was no one there who spoke English.
More Stories
USF professors weigh in after US strikes on Iran nuclear sites
Kyle Burke has seen the U.S. enter multiple Middle Eastern conflicts, such as Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. Still, he said he wasn’t surprised when he saw the U.S. enter another in June. Burke, a USF history professor, has been studying and teaching U.S. foreign relations for nearly two decades. “I had a […]
USF’s presidential search slowed in spring, now resumes with new firm
The USF presidential search committee announced this month its plans to move forward with a new search firm in its pursuit of a new university president. In May, USF spokesperson Althea Johnson told The Oracle that USF would move forward with its presidential search after its initial search firm — SP&A Executive Search — finished […]
USF rocket team takes flight in NASA competition despite challenges
In a field in Alabama, USF Society of Aeronautics and Rocketry members waited for Prometheus — the rocket they’d spent nine months crafting — to take flight. USF’s SOAR was among the 53 teams that launched their rockets for the NASA Student Launch in Huntsville on May 4. The USF team placed 18th after launching […]
USF international students navigate travel under new visa limitations
With a ban restricting visa issuance and entry into the U.S. in effect, USF student Arshia Esmaeilian said he is afraid his parents might not be able to see him graduate next year unless the ban is lifted. “I didn’t really ask for this,” said Esmaeilian, a senior chemistry major. “It’s just something I have […]
USF’s Marshall Student Center to reduce hours amid budget constraints
USF’s Marshall Student Center will operate under reduced hours starting in the upcoming fall semester. New operating hours will go into effect starting on Aug. 17 as listed below: Monday–Thursday: Changing from 7 a.m.–midnight to 8 a.m.–11 p.m. Friday: Changing from 7 a.m.–1 a.m. to 8 a.m.–midnight Saturday: Changing from 8 a.m.–1 a.m. to 8 […]
USF, Crisis Center step up hurricane prep as anxiety lingers from last season
With the arrival of hurricane season in Tampa, USF students – particularly those new to South Florida – may be experiencing increased stress or anxiety after the 2024 season. Running from June 1 to Nov. 30, hurricane season marks the period when tropical storms form and intensify in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the National […]