Intensive probation for York City man falsely accused of kidnapping
A York City man falsely accused of kidnapping a 14-year-old girl in April is being released after spending more than eight months in York County Prison.
James Kenton Naylor, 19, was sentenced Wednesday to four years of intensive probation. He pleaded guilty in November to charges related to the incident, at which time more serious offenses - including kidnapping - were dismissed.
Naylor has been locked up since April 27, a prison official said.
Naylor and co-defendant Ryan Tanner Chambers, 22, of York City, both pleaded guilty to corruption of a minor for the incident in which the girl claimed she'd been kidnapped. Both received time-served sentences, according deputy prosecutor Seth Bortner.
"They were smoking marijuana around her, and that's where the corruption charge comes from," Bortner said. "We also think one of the (men) was trying to kiss her."
On Wednesday, Naylor was sentenced to four years of probation for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, which he also pleaded guilty to in November.
Fake crack: Bortner said that when Naylor was arrested on the false kidnapping allegation, he had several grams of counterfeit crack cocaine in his possession.
For the first six months of his probation, Naylor must report daily to his probation officer, Bortner said, and also must submit to intensive drug counseling."It's about as close an eye as the probation department can keep on you," Bortner said.
Defense attorney Erin Thompson confirmed Naylor has addiction issues.
"He's obviously happy with the result (of his sentence) and is actually looking forward to treatment," she said.
The sentencing guideline range for Naylor's offense was 12 to 18 months in prison, Bortner said, noting that if Naylor not been charged with the false kidnapping he likely would have served less prison time than he has.
The background: The York City girl reported to police she'd been kidnapped from her South Duke Street home just after midnight April 24.
She isn't allowed out at night, but went outside after her mother went to sleep that night and accidentally locked herself out, Bortner said.
"She was locked out and crying when (Naylor and Chambers) found her, and she went with them because she pretty much didn't have anywhere else to go," he said. "It's not that these two (men) were completely innocent of what happened that night. But it wasn't the violent abduction that was originally reported to us."
Chambers and Naylor had been accused of kidnapping the girl at gunpoint. The girl claimed she was cut on the arm with a box cutter, forced to smoke marijuana and had rocks thrown at her, York City Police said.
'Went along': But Bortner said investigators got a different story from an independent witness.
"He said she went along with them on her own, and that the tales of her being terrorized were ... exaggerated," he said.
Bortner said the girl admitted part of her story was a lie, but continued to stand by some of her kidnapping allegations.
"But at that point we couldn't believe her," he said.
A second independent witness - 18-year-old Drakkar Gentry - could not be interviewed at length because he was fatally shot May 5 at the intersection of Walnut Street and Chain Avenue, Bortner said.
- Reach Elizabeth Evans at levans@yorkdispatch.com, 505-5429 or twitter.com/ydcrimetime.
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