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WILKES-BARRE — A woman was terrorized for several hours Sunday morning after she claimed a man forced his way inside a residence armed with a handgun demanding marijuana, according to charges filed.
City police arrested Moses J. Sam, 27, of Crystal Street, Hanover Township, when he was found sleeping on a bed inside 66 Richard St. just before 8 a.m. Sunday.
Police said they found a .45-caliber Ruger, a mask and gloves in the bedroom where Sam was found sleeping.
According to the criminal complaint:
A woman told police she was sleeping on a bed with a 4-year-old child when she was awakened by Sam pressing a handgun against her neck at about 2:30 a.m.. She claimed Sam believed her name was “Lauren” and kept asking for one or two pounds of “weed” for a “phest.”
She told police Lauren is her friend and previously resided in the residence. When she told Sam she was not “Lauren,” Sam demanded she take him to Lauren and made her cover her head with a shirt as they left the house.
Police said the woman intentionally took Sam to a wrong address on West River Street believing Sam intended to harm Lauren. When Sam spotted a man walking a dog on West River Street, he forced the woman to hold his hand.
They returned to the Richard Street residence where Sam asked if he could stay inside to “lay low.” The woman agreed but she told police Sam followed her around the house as she made breakfast and cared for three children, the complaint says.
At one point, she claimed Sam forced her to rub his back and he poured himself a glass of Vodka to drink.
As the children were coloring, Sam had the woman call Lauren but Lauren did not answer.
When the children asked for more coloring books, the woman walked to another room and sent text messages to Lauren, who called 911.
Officers arrived at the house and spotted the woman and two children through a window walking down interior stairs. An officer entered the house and carried a third child from the residence.
Sam was arraigned by District Judge Brian Tupper in Kingston Township on four counts each of recklessly endangering another person and harassment, two counts each of aggravated assault, simple assault, kidnapping, false imprisonment and unlawful restraint, and one count each of illegal possession of a firearm, burglary and criminal trespass. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $250,000 bail.