Police: Woman used puppy to try to lure boy into car

Police: Woman used puppy to try to lure boy

September 23rd 2009

WELLINGTON, Ohio — A 52-year-old Penfield Township woman faces criminal charges after police said she tried to lure an 11-year-old boy into her car on Saturday with a puppy and a promise to get dinner at a Chinese restaurant.



Denise M. Gfell pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted child enticement at her arraignment Tuesday in Oberlin Municipal Court.

She was arrested after the boy’s father saw her talking to his son on Taylor Street around dinnertime Saturday and called police, according to Wellington police Chief Steve Rollins.

A police report stated that Gfell acknowledged talking to the boy and said she did because “he looked lonely and needed someone to care for him.”

She acknowledged asking the boy if he wanted to look at her puppy, which was on the seat next to her in a handbag-like tote, according to a police report.

Gfell repeatedly asked the officer why someone would leave a child all alone, according to the report.

Police say Gfell refused to reply when an officer asked why she didn’t call police if she was concerned about the boy. She told police she wanted to go home and she would not bother any more children, according to the report.

Gfell told the officer she was a foster parent and had taken care of 16 children with her ex-husband, but she said she could not remember the name of the private group that she said had arranged the foster care, according to the report.

Police also noted that she smelled like alcohol, but she passed field sobriety tests, Rollins said. An unopened, 18-can carton of beer was found on the floor of the front seat.

The boy’s father told police that he — along with his wife — wanted the woman to be charged. He said he thought the boy might have been coaxed into the vehicle to see the puppy had he not intervened.

Rollins said the case is quite troubling.

“The lady has some issues,” he said. “It’s a good thing the father showed up.”

Gfell was driving a white Pontiac Vibe, police said, and she doesn’t appear to have any prior arrests.

Earlier this year, Welllington was plagued by reports of attempted child enticement incidents involving a man in a van who allegedly approached boys.

No arrests were ever made in those cases, and there have been no complaints in recent months, according to Rollins.

http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2009/09/23/police-woman-used-puppy-to-try-to-lure-boy/

What a sick cow