Charles City man formally sentenced for abduction of Philadelphia woman

A Charles City man who abducted a Philadelphia woman off the streets in a case that made national headlines, received formal sentencing during United States District court proceedings and will spend the next 35 years in a federal penitentiary.

Delvin Barnes, 38, received the sentence during the June 30 hearing in Philadelphia, Pa. On Sept. 10, 2015, he pleaded guilty to the abduction of Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, 22, of Philadelphia, Pa. during a federal case in the same court.

In Oct. 2014, Barnes was being investigated by Charles City Sheriff’s Office regarding multiple alleged crimes against a 16-year old female from Richmond. Among those charges were attempted murder, abduction, malicious wounding, malicious wounding with chemical, inanimate object penetration, and forcible rape.

While being investigated, Barnes left the state of Virginia unbeknownst to local authorities. An Oct. 29, 2014 search warrant was issued for his home where items related to the alleged crimes in Charles City were discovered. New Kent sheriff’s deputies were alerted to be on the lookout for Barnes. But it was a phone conversation between a New Kent deputy and the deputy’s father that shed light on determining the suspect’s whereabouts.

Deputy Wyatt Johnston spoke with his dad on Nov. 3, 2014 and the topic turned to the Philadelphia kidnapping. Video surveillance footage, which showed the victim, Freeland-Gaither, being forced into a vehicle by an assailant dressed in dark clothing, had drawn national attention.

“He was telling me about the case and the information that was received and in the back of my mind it sounded similar to the one in Charles City,” commented Johnston. “I knew from the investigation that Barnes had ties to Philadelphia and I acted on a hunch.”

That hunch became a key cog in locating Barnes, who moved to Charles City from Philadelphia in the late 1980s/early 1990s and graduated from Charles City High School in 1994. Johnston contacted former Charles City Deputy Charlie Hargis and New Kent Detective Joey McLaughlin.

On the morning of Nov. 5, 2014, McLaughlin and Crawley reviewed footage from the Philadelphia abduction. There, a green Ford Taurus was seen, one similar to the vehicle Barnes was known to drive. Also visible on the video was an inspection sticker on the windshield.

Working with federal authorities, Barnes vehicle was tracked with a GPS device that had been placed on it. Using tracking data, it was discovered that he had been in Philadelphia prior to his ultimate arrest in Maryland.

“This was a collaborative effort among Charles City Sheriff’s Office, New Kent Sheriff’s Office, and federal agencies,” said former Charles City Sheriff Javier Smith, during a Nov. 6, 2014 press conference at Charles City Courthouse.

As part of the plea deal and part of the federal prosecution, charges at the local level were dropped.