A 30-year-old Lancaster man laid out a story of love and betrayal to Falls police on Thursday.
The man said he joined the phone chat line “Quest” and began talking with a woman who said she was a 24-year-old Falls resident. On Oct. 15, the two met up at an apartment on Niagara Street where they had sex.
On Oct. 20, the man said he received a text from someone claiming to be the woman’s mother, who typed that the man had slept with her 17-year-old daughter and he needed to call her right away or she was going to the police. The man called and the mother told him she wanted to keep the incident between them and asked for “restitution” of $300. The man agreed to it and said he was instructed to wire the money to a person who was described to him as a police dispatcher with the Niagara Falls Police Department.
A day or so later, the man said he received another text from the mother. She told him he now needed to pay $1,500 in “court-ordered restitution.” The man sent $150 on Oct. 23 and 24, $100 on Oct. 26 and $475 on Oct. 27. Police said the money was always wired to a store on Niagara Street in the city.
The man said the caller told him they were from a family of police officers. The man said they had also called him at his job and threatened to have him arrested there.
A few days after his last payment, the man said he received a text from the girl’s father who said paperwork was being filed to have him arrested because he hadn’t paid the full amount. The father called the man on Saturday and told him he was going to court on Monday and needed to bring some money with him to prove to the judge that the man was paying his restitution. The man was instructed to drop off $1,200 in a mailbox on Niagara Street. The man did and picked up his “receipt” — a torn up piece of paper.
On Wednesday, the man said he received a voicemail from a woman who said she was a detective with the Niagara Falls Police Department and she wanted to talk about the case.
At this point the man became suspicious and talked over the situation with a friend who urged him to contact the real police.
While officers were interviewing the man, the mother called and was put on speaker. Police said she called the man rude and said she was only trying to help him so he wouldn’t go to jail.
When asked why he’d paid any money to these people in the first place the man responded that he didn’t know it wasn’t a crime to sleep with a 17-year-old. The matter is being investigated by detectives.
Crime
FALLS POLICE: “Quest” for love gets awfully expensive
- Crime
-
-
Korean student robbed at gunpoint in Falls
Detectives are investigating the robbery of a 25-year-old woman Wednesday night in front of a motel in the 400 block of Main Street.
-
Bomb threat leads to arrest at NT school
A North Tonawanda teen was arrested Thursday morning for sending a one-sentence bomb threat to the computer of a fellow high school student, resulting in a brief lockdown of the school.
-
BLOTTER: Police reports published May 25
Police are investigating a burglary in the 400 block of 24th Street.
-
Fugitive in meth case caught
Moments after Falls police narcotics detectives and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents uncovered a clandestine meth lab in the city's Echota neightborhood, their prime suspect sent a cryptic text message to Detective Joe Palmero.
-
BLOTTER: Police reports published May 24
A Youngstown woman was arrested after a domestic incident in the 200 block of 61st Street at 4:45 a.m. Tuesday.
-
FIRE CALLS: Niagara Falls fire reports published May 24
For the period of May 7 to 13 the Niagara Falls Fire Department responded to 105 calls. The total number of service calls for 2012 to date is 2,084.
-
Falls cops target crack dealers
As Eric Nelson sat on the front porch of 533 18th St. on Thursday night with a pocket full of crack cocaine, he was probably waiting for his best customers to roll on up.
-
Falls man finds out there are no free meals
A Falls man was arrested after a waitress at a downtown restaurant told police she tracked him down after he skipped out on his bill.
-
Overheated extension cord believed to be cause of blaze
Fire investigators believe an overheated extension cord sparked a blaze that drove six people out of a 23rd Street home late Monday.
-
BLOTTER: Police reports published May 23
A Falls man called police after he said another man threatened his 17-year-old son with a semi-automatic pistol while his son was walking on the 6900 block of Edison Avenue.
- More Crime Headlines
-
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
Raw Video: Passed Out Man Robbed
