Suspect in Germantown abduction signals he's ready to plead

The Virginia man accused of abducting a nursing assistant last year from a Germantown street and holding her captive for three days signaled on Monday his intention to plead guilty at a hearing in federal court next month.

Delvin Barnes, 38, was scheduled to take his case before a jury on Sept. 14. But U.S. District Judge J. Curtis Joyner has now scheduled a change of plea hearing for Sept. 9, according to court filings.

Barnes, a former supermarket stock clerk, is accused in the Nov. 2 kidnapping of Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, 22, who was rescued in Maryland after a three-day, multiagency manhunt.

Federal authorities have said Barnes confessed to abducting the woman shortly after his arrest. He allegedly told FBI agents he picked Freeland-Gaither at random.

Barnes has also been accused in an unrelated case in Charles City County, Va., where authorities allege he attacked a 16-year-old girl in October, dug a grave for her, and tried to burn her with bleach and gasoline. The girl escaped, and DNA testing led investigators to Barnes, officials there have said.

Virginia state prosecutors temporarily withdrew their case late last year to let the federal prosecution in Philadelphia proceed. They have said they intend to seek an indictment against him on charges of attempted murder, kidnapping, and rape once his case here is resolved.

Barnes was previously convicted in Philadelphia of aggravated assault against his estranged wife and served eight years in prison.