Police investigating report of woman kept locked in bedroom

DURYEA — The report of a woman kept locked in a bedroom for two days turned out to be false and, according to police, so was the name of the man who said he let her out.

Willard Yons III was taken into custody after fleeing from the Main Street residence where police were dispatched for an emergency call Wednesday afternoon.

Police said they were familiar with drug activity at the residence. They filed drug possession and other charges against Yons, 46, who had no known address. He was arraigned Thursday and committed to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility because he could not post $1,000 bail.

The criminal complaint filed by police said:

When officers initially came in contact with Yons at the residence he identified himself as Sean Spang. Another woman there identified him as Jack and said she met him through a dating site.

Yons disputed the claims made by another woman that she was locked in the bedroom. He said she was high on drugs, adding he let her out of the bedroom earlier in the day.

The bedroom door had no handle and had to be opened with a set of pliers. While police checked on the woman after opening the door, they heard the downstairs door open. The check for information on Spang came up empty.

Police left the residence and saw Yons running along nearby railroad tracks. Yons refused to stop when told to by police. An officer used his Taser to subdue Yons and take him into custody. Emergency services were called to check on Yons. While waiting for EMS to arrive, Yons was searched for weapons but did not find any. He had a glass pipe with burnt edges and residue commonly used to smoke methamphetamine. Yons said a girl at the house put the pipe in his pocket.

While leading Yons to a police vehicle, a container fell containing meth fell on the ground. Yons denied it was his, saying he had already been searched. He also continued to refuse to identify himself.

Yons was eventually identified through Livescan at the Pennsylvania State Police barracks in Hanover Township. A records check indicated Yons had a bench warrant issued for him in Carbon County.

Police transported Yons back to the Duryea Police Department where he complained of chest pain. EMS responded and took Yons to a local hospital.