Amanda Berry comes home after 10 long years

CLEVELAND --  Amanda Berry has arrived home after 10 years in captivity.

Amanda's younger sister made a statement to the media after the arrival home.  She says Amanda has changed her mind about making a statement to the media at this time.

She did however say the Berry family is thankful the community's support but is asking for privacy.

Amanda disappeared the day before her 17th birthday in April 2003 while walking home from her job at a fast food restaurant.

Police have confirmed Amanda escaped the house on Seymour Avenue with her 6-year-old daughter.

Amanda, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight had been held in the house for a decade.

Amanda kicked out the bottom of a locked door to escape to a neighbor's house to call for help.  Police have called her the 'real hero' in the story and give her credit for getting the women and the child to safety.

Police have told WKYC's The Investigator, Tom Meyer, that there were padlocks inside the home on the doors to the attic, basement and in the garage. 

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The women were also bound during their captivity.

Three brothers, Ariel Castro, Pedro Castro and Onil Castro, are in police custody in connection with the abductions.  Charges are expected to be announced sometime today.

More coverage:

Photos: See Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus pictures

Found alive: Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus found alive

Charles Ramsey: Listen to 911 call that led to Amanda Berry rescue

Charles Ramsey: Neighbor tells how he helped rescue Amanda Berry

Inside the house: Details emerge about house where victims held

Rude dispatcher?: Police investigate dispatcher's handling of Amanda Berry's 911 call

Castro Brothers Id'd: Three brothers identified in missing women case

Timeline: Gina DeJesus

Timeline: Amanda Berry

Watch: Last 10 years looking for Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus

Twitter trends: Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus on Twitter

Family celebrates: Amanda Berry's family celebrates

911 Call: Help me I'm Amanda Berry

Police: Amanda is the real hero here

Family shocker: DeJesus family reacts to Gina's return

Arrest: Ariel Castro and two brothers arrested in Amanda Berry case

Inside the house:Safety director talks about home where Berry, DeJesus were held

Out of the HOSPITAL: Three missing women released from hospital

Mayor reacts: Mayor Jackson talks about the release of the three missing women

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UPDATE | Charges expected before 6 p.m.

CLEVELAND -- Just before midnight Tuesday, Cleveland Police investigators, Cuyahoga County Sheriff's deputies and members of the FBI Evidence Response Team wrapped up a day of searching at Ariel Castro's home.

Investigators are expected to return Wednesday around 10 a.m.

Charges against the three suspects in the case are also expected.

Ariel Castro, Pedro Castro and Onil Castro will face local, state and possibly federal charges. 

Authorities had 36 hours to file charges after an arrest, which would mean 6 a.m. Wednesday in this case. Late Tuesday evening, that window was extended to 6 p.m. for charges to be filed against the suspects.

On Seymour Avenue, investigators spent hours combing through the home where Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight were kept against their will for about a decade.

Bags of evidence were taken away, as well as two vehicles: A Jeep Cherokee and a pickup truck.

Investigators expect the search to take several days.

Police postponed interviewing the suspects until after the women would be interviewed.

Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight spent Tuesday speaking with investigators in a safe, secure location, out of the public eye that has turned its attention to their homes.

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Photos: See Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus pictures

Found alive: Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus found alive

Castro brothers: Charges expected Wednesday for Castro brothers

Charles Ramsey: Listen to 911 call that led to Amanda Berry rescue

Charles Ramsey: Neighbor tells how he helped rescue Amanda Berry

Ramsey t-shirt: T-shirt for sale honoring Charles Ramsey as a hero

Michelle's mom: Michelle Knight back in hospital

Inside the house: Details emerge about house where victims held

Padlocks in house: Suspects' son says Seymour house had padlocks throughout

No human remains: No human remains found at home where women escaped

Jaycee Dugard: Cleveland women need opportunity to heal

Rude dispatcher?:  Police investigate dispatcher's handling of Amanda Berry's 911 call

Castro Brothers Id'd: Three brothers identified in missing women case

Timeline: Gina DeJesus

Timeline: Amanda Berry

Watch: Last 10 years looking for Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus

Twitter trends: Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus on Twitter

Family celebrates: Amanda Berry's family celebrates

911 Call: Help me I'm Amanda Berry

Police: Amanda is the real hero here

Family shocker: DeJesus family reacts to Gina's return

Arrest: Ariel Castro and two brothers arrested in Amanda Berry case

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Inside the house: Safety director talks about home where Berry, DeJesus were held

Out of the HOSPITAL: Three missing women released from hospital

Mayor reacts: Mayor Jackson talks about the release of the three missing women

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Gina DeJesus homecoming expected soon

CLEVELAND -- Gina DeJesus, one of the three women who escaped years of captivity earlier this week, is expected to return home shortly.

Authorities anticipate her arrival could be as early as 1 p.m.

DeJesus had been held against her will inside a Seymour Avenue home with Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight.

Photos: See Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus pictures

Earlier Wednesday, Berry arrived at her sister's house where a large crowd offered cheers when the vehicle she was riding in pulled into the driveway.

Knight, meanwhile, was re-admitted to the hospital for undisclosed reasons where she's reportedly in good condition.

Three men have been arrested amid an investigation of the case.

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UPDATE: Body in Parma condo ruled a homicide

PARMA -- Late Saturday, Parma Police were called to the scene for a dead body found in a condo complex. 

Parma Police Det. Marty Compton tells Channel 3 Gerald M. Bajorek, 52, was found in the Stratford Village condos dead. Police have now ruled this case a homicide.

The condo complex is located  near Broadview Road, between Snow and Brookpark roads.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact Det. Mike Klein at 440.887.7339.

Follow us on WKYC.com for any further details.

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Between the Lines: Northeast Ohio's newest Congressman

U.S. Rep. David Joyce is Northeast Ohio's newest Congressman.

Republican Joyce represents the 14th District, which includes all or parts of Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Portage, Cuyahoga, Summit and Trumbull counties.

He is the former Geauga County prosecutor.

What are his thoughts about his role in Congress? Does he feel comfortable and connected?

Some of the issues he's involved with include a bipartisan bill to get funding for abandoned buildings, urging the federal government to be more aggressive in protecting Lake Erie from the Asian Carp threat and repealing an Obamacare tax on medical device manufacturers.

Do any of those have a chance of passing?

What are his thoughts about gun control measures, including background checks?

What does he think about efforts to Reform the Republican Party?

Democrats view him as vulnerable. How is he preparing to retain his seat ?

Tom Beres,  Democratic former Shaker Heights Mayor Judy Rawson and Republican former State Representative Matt Dolan discuss these issues with Joyce on this edition of Between the Lines.

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Mentor: Firefighters battle trailer fire

MENTOR -- A Sunday morning fire kept emergency crews busy.

Firefighters battled a blaze that broke out at 9151 Mentor Avenue around 9:30 a.m.  

A mother and son were pulled from the home. Both of them were taken to Lake West hospital where they were flown by LifeFlight to MetroHealth Medical Center.

WKYC crews on the scene say the two were saved after Allen Rosipko, a neighbor. He called 9-1-1, then opened a door so the son could get out. 

Firefighters were able to take control and get the mother out of the fire.

The condition of the two is unknown. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Stay with Channel 3 as this story develops.

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Cleveland Weather: Nice weather continues

The streak of nice, enjoyable weather continues for another few days. Enjoy it.

Saturday: Veiled sunshine, thanks to high clouds. Pleasant. Low 40s.

Sunday:  Partly cloudy. Upper 60s

Monday: Mostly cloudy with a slight chance for showers/sprinkles. Upper 60s

Tuesday:  Mostly cloudy with a slight chance for showers/sprinkles.  Upper 60s

Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Isolated shower chances. Near 70

Thursday: Partly sunny. Low 70s

Friday: Mostly cloudy with scattered rain and a chance for storms.  Mid 70s

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May 4th is National Free Comic Book Day

May 4 is is Free Comic Book Day, a day were special-edition comic books are handed out for free across the country.

Cleveland is no exception and at Carol and John's Comic Book Shop, they are ready to pass out 20,000 free comics.

Last year, 2,000 people came through the shop in one day.

The fun starts early with a midnight release party. Comic fans dressed in costume line up and can enjoy a special brewed beer for the occasion.

"We have 20 different sketch artists coming out to do sketches for The Hero Initiative, which is a charity organization for older comic creators that can't support themselves anymore," said John Dudas, owner of Carol & John's Comic Book Shop.

All the fun has a purpose.

"To bring new people into the comic book shop. To bring people back into the comic book shop that have lapsed in their collecting and to reward regular collectors something very unique and a gift for them," said Dudas.

With movies like "Iron Man" and "The Man of Steel," pop culture has hit the mainstream.

"These are being created by people who loved comics when they where kids so these people are dictating culture, they are producing it," said Dudas. 

Fifty-one different comic books were created for the day but free comics isn't the goal this Saturday.

"That sense of community around the hobby is actually what the weekend is about and that's what they are excited about" said Dudas. "It's a whole great weekend for us kind of people."

Free Comic Book Day Schedule  

Carol and John's Comic Book Shop
17462 Lorain Ave, Cleveland

Launch party Midnight to 2 a.m.

Shop reopens at 10 a.m. and stays open until 7 p.m.

Comic book writer and artist Ralph Cosentino will sign books and drawing free sketches for kids 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Kid's custom contest at noon.

Comic book writer and artist Tony Isabella will be signing free Marvel Horror graphic novels at 3 p.m.

Links: http://www.freecomicbookday.com

            http://www.cnjcomics.com/site/

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'Walk, Rock and Run' donates portion of proceeds to Boston Bombing victims

CLEVELAND -- From bullying to bigotry, we still have a lot of intolerance in our communities but one organization is trying to change that.

The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio held its 11th annual Walk, Rock and Run that's coming up today to help bring some of those issues to light.

Five percent of the proceeds from the run will go to the "One Fund Boston" that helps the people effected by the Boston Bombing.

The event included a 3-mile walk and 5K run and it began and ended at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

For more information on the walk, call the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio (216) 752-3000 or visit their website www.diversitycenterneo.org.

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Jimmy Haslam named in newest Pilot Flying J lawsuit

A Wisconsin trucking firm has filed a class action suit in federal court in Illinois charging Pilot Flying J and its chief executive, Jimmy Haslam III, with racketeering in the wake of a federal probe of a rebate skimming investigation by federal officials.

The suit filed Wednesday is the fifth to be filed against the truck stop chain and the first to name Haslam as a defendant. Also named in the suit are Pilot's president and top sales executives, whose names appeared in a 120-page affidavit filed in U.S. District Court last week in Knoxville.

In the 36-page complaint, attorneys for Edis Trucking, Inc. of Franksville, Wisc., charged that Haslam and other top Pilot executives executives conspired to reduce rebates that had been promised to Edis and other trucking companies.

The suit is the latest in a series to be filed in state and federal courts across the country following an April 15 raid on Pilot's Knoxville headquarters by the FBI and IRS.

Haslam, the suit charges, engaged in or caused Flying J "to participate in a scheme to defraud class members by false promises."

By Walter F. Roche Jr., The Tennessean

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Police: Lice-infested women went 'shopping' at Walmart

BRIMFIELD -- Police here said two women from Akron went on a late-night "shoplifting" trip to Walmart.

Police said that, as the items in one cart were being scanned and bagged, one of the women pushed a full cart of merchandise out of the store.

Then the other woman ran out after her. Police say a witness snapped some pictures on his smart phone, "which is always great when the suspects give us the old 'that wasn't me' speech," Police Chief Oliver said.

The women drove off but police tracked them to their home in Akron, and in conjunction with Akron police, found over $1,300 worth of stolen merchandise.

But there was another problem, police said. The women's house was infested with bed bugs and lice, "the double whammy of itchy," Oliver said.

Officers had to be decontaminated and the evidence was treated and triple-bagged. Police also decontaminated the women before they were given their orange jumpsuits.

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'Draft Day' casting for paid-extra football players

GARFIELD HEIGHTS -- From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday (May 4) there's a casting call and tryouts for football players ages 18 to 25 and all ethnicities for the movie "Draft Day," which will be filmed in the Cleveland area and is about the Cleveland Browns.

The casting call is at Garfield Heights High School Football Field at 4900 Turney Road in Garfield Heights.

Kathy Remski and Rose Gilpin, principals of Real Style casting, are available to discuss the opportunities for Cleveland residents to be in this Hollywood production.

The casting call/tryouts is ONLY FOR FOOTBALL PLAYERS AGES 18 TO 25 WHO HAVE PLAYED COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

For more information and to register online, please visit RealStyle

The casting call/tryouts is for those who want to be an extra in a movie, with or without acting experience. Extras are used throughout filming to provide authenticity to scenes and to reinforce the creative vision of the director.

Extras are paid for their work on set. Experienced football players will register, have a photo taken and run drills. There will be no contact during tryouts, but participants should be prepared to run basic football drills.

Wear appropriate workout gear and shoes -- no helmets or shoulder pads are necessary.

If hired, players must be available to rehearse on May 16, 17 and shoot May 18 in Cleveland (or possibly Columbus). There is no charge to be considered for casting in this movie.

About the movie "Draft Day"

On the day of the NFL Draft, general manager Sonny Weaver (Costner) has the opportunity to save football in Cleveland when he trades for the number one pick. He must quickly decide what he's willing to sacrifice in pursuit of perfection as the lines between his personal and professional life become blurred on a life-changing day for a few hundred young men with dreams of playing in the NFL.

In addition to Kevin Costner, the movie also stars Jennifer Garner, Ellen Burstyn and Denis Leary. The film will also feature NFL players Demario Davis, James Brewer, Ramses Barden, Zoltan Mesko and Stephen Hill. NFL and ESPN on-air talent Jon Gruden, Mike Mayock, Deion Sanders, Rich Eisen, Mel Kiperand and Chris Berman will also pop up in the "Draft Day."

The film is being directed by Ivan Reitman who is known for making "Stripes," "Ghostbusters," "Meatballs" and more

For those interested in all future Real Style opportunities, the option to become a permanent member of the Real Style database will be available to you at the casting. (This option has a one-time only $15 fee).

Real Style works with national production companies to cast extras and talent for numerous movie and television and commercial productions such as Detroit 187, Alex Cross, Conviction, Whip It, and HUNG.     

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Police: 3 more arrests in Boston bombings

JOHN MOTTERN, AFP/Getty Images

BOSTON --  Three roommates of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev have been arrested on suspicion of allegedly removing some of his personal effects from their dorm room at his direction following the April 15 attack, a law enforcement source reported Wednesday.

None of the three is suspected of having advance knowledge of the plot or participating in the planning of the bombing.

Three law enforcement sources confirmed the arrests, which were also announced by the Boston Police Department on its Twitter account. The sources asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

The police department, however, did not elaborate on the identity of the suspects or their relation to the case, but did emphasize that "there is no threat to public safety."

CNN, quoting an attorney involved in the cases, reported that two of the suspects are students from Kazakhstan

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, has already been charged in connection with the bombings that killed 3 people and injured more than 260.

Tsarnaev, whose 26-year-old brother Tamerlan died in a shootout with police three days after the attack, is being held at a prison medical center in Massachusetts.

NBC News' Pete Williams reported that authorities had been watching the three suspects for about 10 days. Two of them were taken into custody several days ago on "immigration issue" and the third was arrested today 

BY: Kevin Johnson and Doug Stanglin/USA Today

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Cimperman: Transgender murder should be hate crime

CLEVELAND -- Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman says the recent murder of a Cleveland resident found in an Olmsted Township pond April 17 should be considered a hate crime.

Cimperman said the murder of Carl Acoff -- also known as Cemia Dove and nicknamed Ci Ci -- was reported missing March 27.

Cimperman, along with members and supporters of the transgender community, will meet outside Cleveland City Hall at 3 p.m. today.

Cimperman said, "Cemia lived a trouble life of acceptance. While Cemia struggled, she did not deserve to die as what is likely a hate crime. Too often we lose loved ones because of fear or hate. Violence should not be tolerated against anyone regardless of race, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation."

"The violent death of this young woman is unconscionable and needs to be addressed," said Jacob Nash, Cleveland Transgender Community Outreach Committee Chair. "Ci Ci was someone's child, but the perpetrator of this horrific crime could not see that."

"I am sure all they saw was someone who was different and trying to live their life the best they knew how. This is the third transgender woman of color murdered in April in the U.S. alone and this needs to stop. We need to break down the barriers and accept people for who they are, regardless, and stop the violence."

Cleveland will be hosting the Gay Games in 2014 and the Northeast Ohio community has a heightened sensitivity to make sure that there is an appropriate response to this type of crime.

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Hazmat situation investigated at NASA Glenn

CLEVELAND -- According to a NASA Glenn spokesperson, an employee developed a skin rash after being exposed to a white substance while cleaning a drawer.

Eight employees were isolated for evaluation as a precaution and an adjacent building was evacated.

Multiple fire and EMS agencies are on scene.

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