BERN TWP., - A man is under arrest and his two alleged victims are safe after one of them made a desperate call to 911.
Police were initially alerted around 4 p.m. Friday after authorities received reports of two people being held against their will inside a tractor trailer.
Court documents state one of the victims was able to call 911 and alert emergency dispatchers to the location of the truck. Dispatchers were also able to track the victim's cell phone, alerting responding officers to their precise location.
Police from several agencies located the truck in Bern Township on 222 just before the exit for Route 183. They initiated a stop and removed the defendant, William Gutierrez of Florida, and the two victims from the truck.
The victims, a man and a woman who described their relationship as husband and wife although not legally married, allegedly told investigators they had been travelling with Gutierrez for weeks and were being held against their will.
Gutierrez allegedly told police the pair were being "dramatic."
Both victims are Nicaragua natives who entered the country illegally and were arrested by the Dept. of Homeland Secuity and released on their own recognizance, court documents state.
Investigators say the male victim and Gutierrez were from the same town in Nicaragua and stayed in contact via Facebook over the years. During one Facebook conversation, Gutierrez allegedly asked the victim to take part in his "CDL training program," which the man believed would be his path to a successful trucking career.
The "program" involved the victim doing a majority of the driving while Gutierrez relaxed. Police noted that the man does not hold a driver's license, let alone a commercial driver's license.
The man told police he began to get suspicious Gutierrez was not a legitimate truck driver after the defendant smoked marijuana in the truck and drove DUI, forced the victim to hide in the truck at weigh stations and bypassed the truck's computer module, allowing them to travel non-stop without taking the legally required breaks. Court documents indicate Gutierrez repeatedly refuse to pay the victim money he had previously promised him for driving the truck.
The female victim joined her husband and Gutierrez on the road in early April.
The pair allegedly demanded to be paid the money owed, at which point Gutierrez threatened their families in Nicaragua and said he would have them deported if they did not comply. Investigators say the threats intensified as time went on and the two felt they had no choice but to do what Gutierrez said.
On April 19, the male victim noticed Gutierrez in a "trance-like state" after the suspect smoked marijuana. The man took a chance and called 911 and police took Gutierrez into custody a short time later.
Gutierrez is charged with trafficking in individuals, involuntary servitude, non-payment of wages and unlawful restraint.
He's being held at Berks County Jail on $250,000 bail.
