'It made me the man I am today': Ohio kidnap hero speaks about domestic violence arrests

• Charles Ramsey was arrested on domestic violence charges in 1997, 1998 and 2003
• His now ex-wife Rochelle says that Mr Ramsey also dodged child support payments for their daughter
  
• A second neighbor, Angel Cordero, claims that he was the one who freed Amanda Berry
  
• Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight and children also found inside dungeon

By Thomas Durante and Rachel Quigley

PUBLISHED: 12:16 EST, 9 May 2013 | UPDATED: 12:16 EST, 9 May 2013

Criminal history: Charles Ramsey, pictured in a 2003 mugshot, was arrested several times for domestic violence

The hero neighbor who saved three young women and a child from the Cleveland 'house of horrors' has spoken out about his criminal past saying the domestic violence incidents made him the man he is today.

Charles Ramsey, who has become something of a celebrity since the rescue of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight due to his antics with the media, was picked up on domestic violence charges in 1997, 1998 and 2003.

Speaking to TMZ he said: 'I've made amends with the people involved and we've all moved on and grown up.

'Those incidents helped me become the man I am today and are the reason why I try to help the community as much as I can ... Including those women.

'If I had so much hatred for women, I would have minded my own business this week and walked away instead of risking my life to save someone else.'

Mr Ramsey served six months in jail after he entered a 'no contest' plea in 1998 - when he was charged with domestic violence and failing to appear in court following his first arrest, according to documents revealed on Wednesday by The Smoking Gun.

After his third arrest in 2003, he was sentenced to another eight months in prison.

That same year, his wife Rochelle filed for divorce.

In an interview with The Smoking Gun, Rochelle said that Mr Ramsey also dodged $51-per-month child support payments for the couple's daughter.

Meanwhile, a second neighbor, Angel Cordero, claimed he was the one who rescued Amanda Berry - and Mr Ramsey did not arrive at the scene until after the woman was freed.

Speaking Spanish, Mr Cordero told NewsChannel5: 'I helped her and I was first.'

He added that by the time Mr Ramsey arrived, Amanda was already 'outside with the girl.

'But the truth who arrived there, who crossed the street, who came and broke the door, it was me.'

But Mr Cordero says that he does not harbor any resentment or jealousy toward Mr Ramsey, as long as the women he helped rescue from the home are OK.

He told the station: 'I did what had to be done. I helped her. They have their daughter, daughters are safe over there.'

The real hero? Angel Cordero claims he was the one who rescued Amanda Berry - and Mr Ramsey did not arrive at the scene until after the woman was freed

When Cooper asked Ramsey what neighbor Ariel Castro was like, he said: 'He was cool, he wasn't no freak of nature, he was like me and you. He talked about the same things me and you do bro'

The revelations come just a day after yet another unforgettable interview with Ramsey, whose animated chats with reporters have made him an internet sensation.

McDonald's have reached out to Mr Ramsey, telling him that they will be in touch.

Mr Ramsey joined CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday to re-tell the events of Monday afternoon that led to the freedom of Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus - as well as Berry's six-year-old daughter.

In a lengthy and animated interview with Cooper, Ramsey relived the moment he heard Amanda screaming from his neighbor's home, the dramatic moment he kicked the door in to rescue her and the 911 call he made to the 'moron' dispatcher, all while holding his half-eaten Big Mac.

When Cooper asked him what neighbor Ariel Castro was like, he said: 'He was cool, he wasn't no freak of nature, he was like me and you. He talked about the same things me and you do bro.'

He revealed that he actually spoke to Castro earlier that day because a postal worker had put his mail into Ramsey's mailbox. He said that Ramsey drove off and he went to McDonald's on his bicycle.

Ramsey, who is a dishwasher, brushed off his hero status, telling Cooper that he just had to 'do the right thing', adding: 'Bro, I’m a Christian, an American, and just like you. We bleed the same blood, put our pants on the same way.

'It’s just that you got to put that - being a coward, and I don’t want to get in nobody's business. You got to put that away for a minute.'

Ramsey, who is a dishwasher, brushed off his hero status, telling Cooper that he just had to 'do the right thing', adding: 'Bro, I¿m a Christian, an American, and just like you. We bleed the same blood, put our pants on the same way'

He also revealed he is traumatized and has had trouble sleeping after learning what was taking place right next door to him.

'Up until yesterday, the only thing that kept me from losing sleep was lack of money. You know what I'm saying? But now that that's going on and I think I could have done this last year...'

He also says that any reward money should not be given to him, but to the three women who had lost so many years of their lives being held captive.

'I tell you what you do, give it to them… you know I got a job anyway' before pulling out his paycheck that he just picked up and showing it to Anderson.

Yesterday, after giving several zany interviews which catapulted him to internet celebrity status, his mentions of McDonald's caught the attention of the fast food chain.

They later tweeted: 'We salute the courage of Ohio kidnap victims & respect their privacy. Way to go Charles Ramsey - we'll be in touch.'

His expletive-filled 911 call is garnering just as much attention as his interviews.

Amazing Charles Ramsey Cleveland 911 call

Hero: Charles Ramsey said he was enjoying some food from McDonald's in his home when he heard frantic screams for help from his neighbor's house

He explains to the dispatcher: 'Hey bro I'm at 2207 Seymour Avenue, West 25th. Hey check this out, I just came from McDonald's right? And I'm on my porch eating my little food and this broad is trying to break outa the f***ing house next door to me.

'There was a bunch of people on the street right now and sh** and we are like, "Whats wrong with you, whats the problem?"

'And she's like, "This mother f***er has kidnapped me and my daughter". Said her name is Linda Berry or some shit. I don't know who the fuck that is, I just moved over here bro.'

The dispatcher asks the man to calm down and slow down and tries to ascertain what is happening and where they are.

He explains that he is looking at Berry, who is on the phone with a different dispatcher. He explains that she is white, but her child is Hispanic and that she is wearing a white tank top and blue sweat pants.'  

Ramsey is then asked if Amanda Berry needs an ambulance and he can be heard shouting over to her.

'You need an ambulance or what? She needs everything, she in a panic, she's been kidnapped you know? So put yourself in her shoes.'

Ramsey's lively and captivating interviews have been shared on social networking sites most of the day with many claiming it as 'the best interview ever.'

Mr Ramsey told WEWS-TV: 'I heard screaming, and I see this girl going nuts trying to get outside [of the house].

'I go on the porch and she said, "Help me get out. I've been here a long time." I figure it was domestic violence dispute.'

'She comes out with a little girl and says "Call 911, my name is Amanda Berry."

'I knew something was wrong when a little pretty white girl runs into a black man's arms, I said, "Something is wrong here". Dead giveaway.'

Hero: Neighbor Charles Ramsey stands surrounded by the media and well-wishers, and told how he heard screams from the missing young women while eating fast food

Found: Amanda Berry (left) and Gina DeJesus (right) were found alive in Cleveland on Monday following a decade-long search

It was this and other memorable statements that has made Ramsey an internet celebrity. There is already an 'autotune remix' of his interview, called 'Little Pretty White Girl'.

Memes and gifs have also started to emerge with the phrases, 'I barbeque with this dude, we eat ribs and whatnot' and 'You got some big testicles to pull this off bro.'

Twitter also exploded with references to Ramsey, praising him for both his heroic actions and memorable interviews.

One user tweeted: 'Dear Charles Ramsey: I am not a little pretty white girl, but I totally want to run into your black arms. #hero'

Soon after Amanda Berry appeared, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were also found alive inside the house.

When Mr Ramsey helped Amanda out of the house, she was holding a young child, and there were other children in the home.

Ariel Castro, 52, has been arrested and is in police custody in connection with the kidnapping case along with his two brothers, who are 50 and 54.

Mr Ramsey said: 'When she told me, it didn’t register until I got the call to 911 and I'm like, "I'm calling 911 for Amanda Berry? I thought this girl was dead."'

He handed Amanda the phone, and she told police that she had been held captive in the home and to send help.

Neighbour describes the moment he found Amanda

Awaiting good news: The disappearance cases have gripped the attention of all Cleveland residents for the past decade and crowds gathered at the police station on Monday evening

    

Other case: Gina DeJesus went missing in 2004 on her way home from school - Michelle Knight was last seen two years earlier

Desperate: Amanda Berry told a 911 dispatcher that she had been held captive in the home, surrounded by police tape, and to send help

Questions answered: The families of DeJesus and Berry kept their names in the news, though little is known about the third woman who was found in the home, who has been identified as Michelle Knight

 

Amanda Barry's dramatic 911 call after being freed

 

Three arrested as missing girls found alive