Crime & Safety
Cuyahoga Falls Kidnapper Sentenced to Prison
Brandon J. Richards, 23, of Cuyahoga Falls, was sentenced after pleading guilty in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas.
Brandon J. Richards was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping a woman at gunpoint in January.
After Richards, 23, of Cuyahoga Falls, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty on May 6, he was convicted the next day of kidnapping with a firearm specification, a first-degree felony; gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony; trafficking in marijuana, a fifth-degree felony; domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor; and violating a protection order, a first-degree misdemeanor, according to Daniel Horrigan, the Summit County Clerk of Courts.
Richards was sentenced by Summit County Court of Common Pleas Judge Paul Gallagher.
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Upon release, Richards will be required to file as a sex offender and will undergo five years of post-release control, reports the Falls News-Press.
On Jan. 17, a squad of Cuyahoga Falls Police and SWAT team members arrested Richards in the 3300 block of Bath Heights Drive.
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He was initially arrested after threatening his significant other with a handgun, and for dealing marijuana, said Falls Police Lt. Steve Guldeman.
The victim reported the kidnapping incident to police on Jan. 16 and said it had occurred at Richards' Bath Heights residence.
After speaking with the victim, police decided to deploy their SWAT team to assist in the arrest.
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