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
Bomb threat at USF cooper hall wasn’t legitimate, police say
University Police (UP) determined a reported bomb threat at Cooper Hall wasn’t legitimate on Tuesday night. After conducting a sweep of Cooper Hall, UP found “nothing of concern,” according to a universitywide email sent out at 12:39 a.m on Wednesday. The investigation is still ongoing, according to police. An emergency alert was first sent out […]
Pro-Palestine encampment protest at USF broken up by tear gas
Law enforcement broke up a pro-Palestine encampment of around 100 protesters at the USF Tampa campus Tuesday evening using tear gas. The demonstration was the second in two days at USF where students, employees and community members urged the university to divest from companies with financial ties to Israel. Related: Several protesters at USF arrested […]
Several protestors at USF arrested during pro-Palestine encampment protest
Three protestors were arrested by University Police (UP) Monday afternoon during a pro-Palestine demonstration outside the Marshall Student Center (MSC), according to USF spokesperson Althea Johnson. Johnson said the three arrests included a student, an employee and an individual who is not associated with the university. Related: USF pro-Palestine hunger strikers removed from BOT meeting […]
The Oracle needs your help
Dear reader: Reporters for USF’s award-winning student newspaper, The Oracle, have recently navigated through a pandemic, a rapidly evolving political climate and a change in university president – all with the goal of sharing important news and stories. Though The Oracle has been an integral part in keeping the USF community informed since 1966, we […]
USF won’t install more physical protections following recent on-campus suicide
USF will not be implementing additional physical safety measures over a month after a student leapt from an upper floor inside the Interdisciplinary Sciences building, USF spokeswoman Althea Johnson said. The incident marked the third on-campus suicide since fall 2022. A week after a student fell from an upper floor of Beard Garage in 2022, […]
Meet USF’s new student body president and vice president
A new era of Student Government (SG) just arrived. In a quick five-minute ceremony, student body president-elect Suryakanth Prasad Gottipati and vice president-elect Sumit Subhash Jadhav were sworn in on Wednesday afternoon. Their term will start on May 6 and last for one year. Related: Take a look at USF’s student leaders’ swearing in ceremony […]