RALEIGH, N.C. — A North Carolina inmate described as a high-ranking member of the Bloods street gang faces a federal kidnapping charge after authorities say he used a smuggled mobile phone to help orchestrate the abduction of a prosecutor's father.
An arrest warrant was issued Friday for Kelvin Melton, who is serving a life sentence for ordering the shooting of a man in 2011.
Melton is accused in the Saturday kidnapping of Frank Arthur Janssen of Wake Forest. Janssen was rescued Wednesday by the FBI at an Atlanta apartment. Janssen's daughter prosecuted Melton in 2012.
The case highlights the problem of inmates getting access to smart phones that can allow them to make calls, exchange email, browse the Internet and maintain Facebook profiles.
Five other people were arrested and charged in Janssen's kidnapping.
