Jun 16, 2009 6:57 am US/Eastern
I-Team: Tragic Twist To Deadly Feltonville Crash
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
-
-
Suspect Donta Cradock
CBS
A CBS 3 I-Team investigation has uncovered a heartbreaking new twist in the deaths of three children and a mother last Wednesday in Feltonville.
The accused killer allegedly behind the wheel of the car that ran them down was the target of a police manhunt. Officers raided his house trying to find him just days before the fatal crash.
Records show police and family court officials knew all too well 18-year-old Donta Cradock was dangerous. So dangerous, he was #1 on a list of top 25 most wanted juvenile escapees.
But when a special team, formed to track down fugitives, raided Cradock's home on May 30, he slipped away.
They are called "JETS" -- Juvenile Enforcement Teams -- and their mission in Operation Pressure Point is to track down more than 300 juvenile fugitives who have slipped out of detention and are on the run.
Beginning in April, working with family court officials, they made a list of their top 25 most wanted and the man at the top of the list was Donta Cradock.
Judge Kevin Dougherty, who heads family court, said in an exclusive interview that Cradock, with eight prior arrests, was the top target of the teams after he failed to return from an Easter pass to a disciplinary school outside Pittsburgh.
"People need to realize that we take our job serious," Dougherty said.
Records show JET teams raided Cradock's house on May 30; 11 days before he allegedly roared through the intersection of 3rd and Annsbury Streets last Wednesday night killing three children, along with the mother of the youngest.
But Cradock could not be found at the home.
"We always hope we're successful when we do things like that, unfortunately in this case, we weren't able to locate him," Lt. Frank Vanore explained.
Cradock is in police custody, charged with taking four innocent lives.
But for police and court officials who tried for weeks to catch him, doing all they could, there is the haunting knowledge that if only they had made an arrest, a tragedy might have been prevented.
"He eluded authorities long enough to tragically commit this crime," Lt. Vanore said.
With the lessons learned from this tragedy, court officials say they hope to start a hotline so the public can anonymously report juveniles who are on the run.
Meanwhile, the same JET teams who chased Cradock are still very busy. 10 percent of the 7,000 juveniles now in the juvenile system, more than 700 suspects, are wanted on bench warrants for failing to appear.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Openly Gay Celebrities
Click to enlarge
N.J. Man Sentenced For Atlantic City Beach Killing 16 mins ago
Stumble It!
Reporting
