Teen Abducted, Assaulted at Michael Jackson Home in Gary

Oasia Barnes, a 69-year-old convicted serial rapist, is on trial for allegedly kidnapping a teenage girl and her father at gunpoint during their visit to the Michael Jackson Childhood Home in Gary, Indiana. Prosecutors claim Barnes forced the two into their rental car, demanded money, and then separated them, directing the father to drive to an alley before taking the girl to a field where he sexually assaulted her. The girl, then 16, and her father testified about the ordeal, detailing threats and violence, while police later found the girl with Barnes and arrested him with a handgun. Barnes faces multiple felony charges, including Level 1 felony rape, with prosecutors seeking additional sentencing enhancements due to his criminal history. Defense attorneys challenge the evidence, questioning the conclusiveness of DNA and police statements, but authorities emphasize the incident was isolated and have since increased security measures at the tourist site. Gary officials assert that no further similar issues have occurred at the location since the incident.