Latest news with #AnthonyBailey
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
2 men charged with kidnapping person, demanding ransom from family in Pittsburgh
New details are emerging in a kidnapping and ransom case that ended at Frick Park, one of the city's busiest public spaces. Police say the suspects demanded a $150,000 ransom drop at the park's bleachers, where the victim's family ultimately delivered $22,000 in cash inside a Giant Eagle bag. Pittsburgh police have charged Donald Wilson, 36, of Pittsburgh and Anthony Bailey, 45, of Pittsburgh, with kidnapping, among other serious offenses. According to investigators, the crime began around 1 a.m. last Wednesday, when the suspects broke into a Pittsburgh home. They allegedly entered a bedroom, held the victim at gunpoint while they were asleep, and demanded drugs and money. Court documents reveal the suspects tied the victim's hands and feet, ordering them to keep their eyes closed or risk being killed. One suspect allegedly threatened, 'I've killed people for free, and I cut off toes for fun.' The suspects then forced the victim into a car and drove to the East Exit Motel in Monroeville, where they continued to demand ransom money from the victim's family. Park visitors who frequent the area say they were stunned to learn what happened. 'This is my sacred place to walk,' said Tonya Magwood, a local resident. 'It's serene, peaceful. To hear about a ransom drop—I was shocked.' John Cornack, who runs a children's camp at Frick Park every summer, called the situation 'concerning.' 'We'll be keeping an extra eye out,' Cornack said. 'We want to make sure people feel safe on these courts and on these bleachers. This is such a beautiful place.' Police were able to identify and locate the suspects through surveillance footage from the motel, where Bailey checked in using his real ID, and ride-share records from Lyft. The ride history helped investigators track movements to and from the motel while the victim was being held. One suspect was later arrested after a SWAT standoff at a residence in Pittsburgh. Before releasing the victim on a nearby street, the suspects reportedly took their cell phone and other personal belongings. The victim was able to get help from a family member and is now safe, according to police. Pittsburgh police have not released the name or gender of the victim in order to protect their identity. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Irish Independent
02-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Wexford tour guide says council's on-street advertising ban will ‘kill my business stone dead'
However, the WexWalks owner now feels like the future of his business is hanging in the balance as a result of a new zero tolerance approach being taken by Wexford County Council in relation to sandwich boards and bollard sleeves advertising local businesses. At a meeting of the Wexford Borough District back in February, the local authority confirmed that they would be getting tough on signs placed around the Main Street which 'make it harder for people to get around'. "We will be sending our workers out and if they come across them, they'll just be picking them up and taking them away,' District Manager Anthony Bailey said. 'They'll go straight into waste and will be destroyed too, because we won't be paying to store them.' Last week, Paul Walsh of WexWalks received correspondence from the District Manager, advising him that 'advertising structures on or along public paths and roadways is not permitted' and asking him to 'reconsider use of the above.' The letter stated that from May 2, sandwich boards and bollard sleeves would be taken away and destroyed by Wexford County Council crews. For Paul, this is a huge issue. 'I totally get that there are some signs out there that are a nuisance,' he said. 'I'm a health and safety officer myself. I've carefully placed my sign in The Bullring so that it's no obstruction to wheelchairs, strollers or people walking. There's plenty of room.' Having carried out a survey among his customers, Paul says that 36% of his customers are people who came across his sign on the Main Street. "I don't have a shopfront," he said. 'This is my shopfront. I know they'll say there's always social media and things like that, but the average age of my customers is 55 to 70. Most of them don't do social media. I had three tours last weekend and every one of them found me through my board in The Bullring. "The council have been very good to me in the past,' he continued. 'They were always fair. But I need to talk to someone about this. If my board has to go, then I'm going to need some kind of alternative, be that a sign on a pole or something else.' Given Wexford County Council's apparent emphasis on growing the number of visitors into the town, Paul feels that making things difficult for small operators like him is counter-productive. "Things are hard enough out there as it is,' he said. 'Tourism is down 30% in Ireland at the moment and 80% of that is American tourists. That's my bread and butter. If I lose the 36% of my business that comes from my board, then I'm gone. "I also like to think I'm doing my bit when I'm out there. When I'm standing in The Bullring in my costume, with the physical tourist office now closed, people regularly come up to me and ask me questions. I couldn't tell you how many times I've pointed people in the direction of local restaurants, hotels, shops and attractions.' Paul says that he has approached Wexford County Council and the District Manager with a bid to find a solution, with the clock ticking, however, he has yet to hear back from anyone. "If I can't get some kind of solution here, this will kill my business stone dead,' he said. 'I'm not angry or bitter about it, I just want someone to talk to me to come up with a workable solution.' Citing Cream Café in Henrietta Street as another example of an impacted business, local councillor Raymond Shannon has accused the council of being 'heavy-handed' and making things difficult for local businesses. "These people are bringing business to the town and we should be supporting them," he said. 'We'll have Guinness and Heineken rolling into town in a couple of months for the Fleadh with all kinds of huge banners and posters and not a word about it. "We need to be supporting these businesses. Describing it as littering, I just don't understand. In terms of them being obstacles for people with disabilities or visual impairments, I understand the point. But are any of these signs any more of a hazard than the flower pots and chairs that are being put outside of pubs? "We need to find some kind of compromise here that works for the traders involved, especially at a time when businesses are closing on the Main Street and footfall is down.'
