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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A man who set off an Amber Alert in July when he allegedly abducted his 16-year-old girlfriend at gunpoint won&#8217;t face a kidnapping charge.</p><p>Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Jenny Roberts was forced to withdraw the felony charge when Jenea Patterson opted not to testify against Walter Lewis, 21, at a preliminary hearing before District Judge Martin Kane on Wednesday.</p><p>During the court proceeding and afterwards in the parking lot, Patterson and Lewis told each other, &#8220;I love you&#8221; multiple times inside and outside the courtroom.</p><p>Patterson went into a profanity laced tirade directed at photographers and reporters while attempting to avoid questions why she decided not to testify against Lewis.</p><p>&#8220;I love him. Hallelujah, thank you (expletive) Jesus,&#8221; Patterson said when learning Lewis won&#8217;t face the kidnap charge in county court.</p><p>State police issued an Amber Alert for Patterson after she was allegedly abducted by Lewis outside her apartment in the Mineral Springs housing complex in Wilkes-Barre late at night on July 30.</p><p>During the alleged abduction, Lewis pistol-whipped Guillermo Levine, broke his nose and discharged two rounds from a handgun, according to the criminal complaint.</p><p>The search involved multiple federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that ended with Lewis&#8217; arrest after Lewis and Patterson were removed by security from Commonwealth Health Wilkes-Barre General Hospital just before midnight on July 31.</p><p>A hospital spokesperson said surveillance recordings showed Lewis and Patterson inside the facility for 45 minutes before security escorted them out at 10:15 p.m. Lewis was arrested by city police after he was stunned by a Taser.</p><p>During a foot chase, police alleged Lewis discarded a 9mm handgun with an altered serial number, court records say.</p><p>The withdrawal of the kidnapping charge eliminates any sanctions for Lewis under the state&#8217;s Megan&#8217;s Law that would had required Lewis, if convicted, to register his address with state police.</p><p>Lewis waived three counts each of simple assault and terroristic threats, and one count each of carrying firearms in a public place, flight to avoid apprehension, possessing a firearm with an altered serial number, illegal possession of a firearm and resisting arrest to county court.</p><p>Patterson&#8217;s mother, Cyndi Angeles, said she was not happy with the kidnapping charge being dropped.</p><p>&#8220;Why? Why would you do that?&#8221; Angeles said. &#8220;I&#8217;m very surprised and I&#8217;m very angry.&#8221;</p><p>Roberts and city police Det. Shane Yelland were prepared to present evidence that included surveillance recordings of the alleged abduction and Angeles&#8217; phone call to 911. Surveillance cameras in the housing complex allegedly recorded the abduction, gunfire and Levine being pistol whipped.</p><p>After Lewis and his attorney, Janan Tallo, privately reviewed the recordings, Tallo informed Kane that her client would waive most of the charges to county court, excluding the kidnapping count.</p><p>In a related case, Lewis is scheduled to appear before county Judge David Lupas next week on charges of simple assault, flight to avoid apprehension, illegal possession of a weapon, disorderly conduct and harassment in connection to his arrest by city police when he allegedly assaulted Patterson on Austin Avenue on Oct. 13, 2014.</p><p>Lewis remains jailed at the county correctional facility for lack of $350,000 bail.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Walter Lewis arrives at the district justice office in Wilkes-Barre for a preliminary hearing on kidnapping and terroristic threat charges. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL101515lewis2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Walter Lewis arrives at the district justice office in Wilkes-Barre for a preliminary hearing on kidnapping and terroristic threat charges. </caption0><photoCredit0>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ed Lewis</p><p>elewis@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Ed Lewis at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TLEdLewis</p></shirttailMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><videoMeta><p><table class="mceItemTable" style="border:none;width:98%;"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoID:</td><td id="videoid" style="width:50em;font-size:90%;">3KceD2A1TJg</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoType:</td><td id="videotype" style="font-size:90%;">YOUTUBE</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">URL:</td><td id="url" style="font-size:90%;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KceD2A1TJg</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Embed String:</td><td id="videoembedstring" style="font-size:90%;">&lt;iframe width=&#8221;560&#8221; height=&#8221;315&#8221; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/embed/3KceD2A1TJg&#8221; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8221; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Caption:</td><td id="videocaption" style="font-size:90%;">&#8220;I love him. Hallelujah, thank you (expletive) Jesus,&#8221; Jenea Patterson said when learning alleged abductor Walter Lewis won&#8217;t face kidnapping charges in county court.</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Credit:</td><td id="videocredit" style="font-size:90%;">Ed Lewis | Times Leader</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Position:</td><td id="videoposition" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="margin-top:10px;font-size:70%;color:#555;">(use the &#8220;for files&#8230;&#8221; link above to associate attached files with this source)</p></videoMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre teen girl yells ‘I love you’ at alleged abductor after court hearing