Kemar Ricketts, 32, was arraigned Tuesday before Magisterial District Judge Fred B. Miller in two cases — one involving the discharge of a firearm at Evergreen Manors and the other for a large amount of drugs recovered from a local motel room.

Charges have also been compiled and sent to the magisterial district judge for the kidnapping case in which Ricketts faces 17 charges, including kidnapping, rape, robbery, intimidation of witnesses, unlawful restraint, sexual extortion, false imprisonment, indecent assault and other charges, according to the Altoona Police Department’s Facebook page. Court documents in that case were not available in online court records Friday evening.

March 26 shooting

According to the criminal complaint in the shooting case, Ricketts is a suspect in an incident that occurred March 26 at Evergreen Manors. In that case, police responded to a victim’s home on the 300 block of 60th Street for a report of a Black male and white female pounding on their apartment door. The victim stated that the man, later identified as Ricketts, was dressed all in black and wearing a black ski mask, while the woman was also dressed in black and her face was covered by a mask or hood.

Drugs, more than $2,000, a handgun and other evidence was recovered Thursday after Kemar Ricketts was taken into custody. Courtesy photo

Before police arrived on scene, dispatch received two reports of shots fired in the same area. The suspect fled the area before police arrived on scene, the report states.

During the investigation, police found three spent shell casings in the parking lot and a red Jeep Grand Cherokee with three bullet holes in the front driver’s side door. The victim told police the Jeep was her vehicle.

Police traced a suspect vehicle to a woman, who said she drove Ricketts to the location because he was to talk to someone who lived there. She told police she didn’t know Ricketts had a gun and when Ricketts got back into her vehicle, she told him to get out. He told her “you’re not going to say nothing, and if anything, say I held you at gunpoint and give a random name,” the report states.

The woman said she only knew Ricketts as “Rockstar,” as he never tells anyone his name and he always wears a “ninja mask” that only shows his eyes.

Police were able to trace and identify Ricketts after the woman said he was another woman’s boyfriend and they were staying at the Econo Lodge along Pleasant Valley Boulevard.

When officers talked to an Econo Lodge employee, they learned that the girlfriend checked into a room in February and that, while the employee didn’t know Ricketts’ name, he drove a Maserati that was damaged in a crash.

Police used a photo from Rickett’s TikTok account and facial recognition software to identify him, along with a tow truck receipt and a prescription bottle found inside the hotel room he shared with the girlfriend.

The girlfriend told officers she didn’t know Ricketts had a gun unless he took her gun. Police said records indicate that the girlfriend purchased a .45-caliber Glock in October 2022.

Once police identified Ricketts, a search of his criminal history showed that he was not to be in possession of a firearm as he pleaded guilty to felony murder, kidnapping and robbery.

Drugs in hotel room

In the case involving the drug charges, police executing a search warrant on the room looking for the girlfriend’s gun found marijuana in a red container, along with a digital scale and packaging materials. Also in the room were items that identified the girlfriend and Ricketts, police stated.

After securing a second search warrant, this one for the drugs, police seized 3 pounds of marijuana, 9 ounces of crack/cocaine and 1.5 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, along with packaging materials and a digital scale.

The girlfriend was taken into custody and told police Ricketts brought the red container into the room and told her not to touch it.

She agreed to get in touch with Ricketts while police listened and Ricketts told her he was going to send her money for the room. She told him that a hotel employee smelled marijuana and she asked him if there was any in the room. He stated “I do have weed in there,” the affidavit states.

When she told him to get rid of it, he replied “how the f*** am I supposed to move it when I’m down here?” He then hung up. In a second call, Ricketts asked why staff was in the room and the girlfriend said they were going to call police for the smell of marijuana. He again hung up, but then called back, telling her to move the red container to her storage unit, then to her car.

He made statements that he had “so much s**t” and stated he had “coke and pounds of ice,” the report states.

The affidavit in that case is dated March 29, with police seeking a warrant for Ricketts arrest.

Kidnapping, rape reported in May

At 10:20 p.m. on May 21, Altoona police responded to a report of a kidnapping and sexual assault that had just occurred. After an extensive investigation by detectives, Ricketts was identified as the suspect, according to APD’s Facebook post.

After these events took place in the city, officers with the narcotics and vice unit began to assist the U.S. Marshals with finding Ricketts.

Prior to the kidnapping, Ricketts had active arrest warrants not only for the Evergreen Manors shooting and the Econo Lodge drugs, but also through state parole after pleading guilty to an attempted homicide charge.

Taken into custody

At 10:36 p.m. Thursday, members of the U.S. Marshals, APD Tactical Response Team, APD Narcotics and agents with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General conducted a traffic stop and Ricketts was taken into custody with over $2,000 in his pocket. In addition, a handgun was found in the back seat of the vehicle where Ricketts was seated.

After being taken into custody, Ricketts’ luggage was recovered and APD Narcotics completed a search warrant on the backpack. The search turned up about 6 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of $80,000; 64 grams of brown powder that was consistent with heroin, with a street value of $16,000; two electronic scales; a spoon for packaging; and a Ruger GP100 .357 magnum revolver.

Charges have been sent to the magisterial district judge for the drugs and firearms located during Ricketts’ arrest, police stated on the Facebook post. Ricketts was charged with possession with intent to deliver, person not to possess a firearm and related charges.

Unable to post bail

While online court documents were not available for the kidnapping/rape or for the drug charges related to Ricketts’ arrest, he was arraigned for the Evergreen Manors incident and the drugs found at the Econo Lodge.

In the shooting, he faces felony charges of possession of a firearm prohibited, firearms not be carried without a license and discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, along with misdemeanor charges of recklessly endangering another person, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct and a summary harassment charge. Unable to post $500,000 bail in that case, he was remanded to the Blair County Prison.

In the Econo Lodge drug case, Ricketts faces three felony charges each of possession with intent to deliver and criminal conspiracy engaging to possession with intent to deliver, a felony charge of criminal use of a communication facility and misdemeanor charges of possessing a controlled substance, possession marijuana and possessing drug paraphernalia. In that case, bail was set at $250,000.

His preliminary hearings in both cases are set for June 15 before Magisterial District Judge Matthew Dunio.