Brother charged in 2 teens' kidnapping case to plead guilty

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The attorney for a 20-year-old man charged in connection to the kidnapping of his two teenage siblings in Indianapolis says a plea deal has been reached on a lesser charge.

Stanley Pernell's attorney, J.P. Roman Lagunas, said he's expected to plead guilty next month to a misdemeanor charge of resisting law enforcement. He originally faced felony charges of burglary and drug-dealing conspiracy.

Federal authorities say Pernell's 16-year-old brother and 13-year-old sister were kidnapped in March by John Thomas, an ex-boyfriend of their older sister, Whitney Blackwell. According to officials, the two were living together in Detroit before she stole money, cocaine and other drugs from him and fled to Indianapolis.

Pernell told The Indianapolis Star (http://indy.st/1kzRJSa ) from jail in March that his older sister tasked him with tracking down hidden stacks of cash to ensure the teen's safe return. The cash was to be taken to Miami to a rendezvous point.

Detroit police freed the boy, who was found blindfolded with his hands bound in an SUV. The girl was dropped off by her abductors at a Taco Bell in Dayton, Ohio, and she told police they gave her $200 to take a cab back to Indianapolis.

Roman Lagunas said the plea agreement is a "fair and just resolution." A change of plea hearing is scheduled for Nov. 9.

"We'll be happy to put this case behind us," Roman Lagunas said.

Other cases connected to the kidnapping and drug money plots remain pending. Thomas and five others were indicted in federal court in in the kidnapping, and the U.S. attorney's office says they await trial in December. Blackwell was initially charged with conspiracy to commit dealing cocaine and other drug charges.

___

Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com