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Detroit drug dealer sentenced to life in LaSalle Street kidnappings

Justin L. Mack

A Detroit drug dealer accused of kidnapping two Indianapolis teens as payback to a former girlfriend has been ordered to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

John Thomas, 39, also known as "Jay," was sentenced Thursday on two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping in connection to a series of events that began with a kidnapping on March 2, 2015.

He was found guilty on all counts after a six-day trial before U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Young, who delivered the sentence of life imprisonment without parole.

In the moments before receiving his sentence, Thomas spoke in court, stating that he felt sorry for what had happened to the teens victimized in the kidnapping, and he was thankful that no one was seriously hurt or killed.

But still, he maintained his innocence. Thomas told the judge that he had nothing to do with the kidnappings, and that he would never do anything that would result in children being hurt.

Young, however, said the evidence against Thomas flew in the face of his statements of innocence. Evidence like Thomas ordering his five co-conspirators to hurt one of the teens, demand ransom for their family and separate them. Thomas was also said to be present when the teens were snatched from their homes.

Along with the evidence, Young took into account the fact that if released from prison, an elderly Thomas would still be able to lead others in criminal activity. The judge also expressed concern of the kidnapped teens still being alive when the man responsible is released from prison, forcing them to spend a lifetime looking over their shoulders.

"They will never, ever forget that night," Young said.

According to a federal complaint in the case, Thomas' former girlfriend, Whitney Blackwell, took $120,000, 4,000 OxyContin pills and a kilogram of cocaine from the home the couple shared in Detroit and drove to Indianapolis with her six-year-old son on Feb. 28, 2015.

A Marion County probable cause affidavit charging the Indianapolis woman with drug dealing puts the money at $250,000, but Blackwell told IndyStar she took $43,000.

That motivated Thomas to travel  first to Chicago, then Indianapolis with five members of his crew to look for Blackwell, court documents said. After spending days searching, the suspects went to the Blackwell's home in the 1200 block of LaSalle Street  and kicked in the front door.

When the stolen items weren't found, the armed men took Blackwell's siblings, Aaron and Emma, who were 16 and 13 at the time. The teens were separated, placed into separate vehicles and driven out of the state, court documents say.

Aaron was thrown in a trunk before being driven to Detroit. Emma was driven first to Kentucky and then a Taco Bell in Dayton, Ohio, before her kidnappers sent her home in a cab.

They used a blindfold, towel and a hood to prevent Aaron from identifying them and used zip-ties to prevent his escape. They later cut his fingers in an attempt to get information.

Police tracked a phone that placed ransom calls to a home in Detroit, and later followed two men who left the house in an SUV. When police tried to pull the vehicle over, a high-speed chase ensued with the SUV hitting a snow bank, court documents said. Aaron was found inside.

“Mr. Thomas is a career criminal with previous convictions in Detroit for home invasions and selling drugs,” U.S. Attorney Josh J. Minkler said in a statement.  “When he came to Indianapolis to kidnap our children, law enforcement insured that career would come to an end — permanently. Thomas will not sell any more drugs, he will not break into anyone’s home and will not kidnap any more children. We have the hard working IMPD officers and FBI agents to thank for that.”

The five other suspects — Bernando Reeves, Ali Hussain Ashore, Mohammed Karkash, April Sandell and Alaa Al-Salehi — have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping in federal court, receiving sentences ranging from 18 months to 132 months.


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