State Police have revealed more information about the arrest of Thomas Dewald for child abduction and attempted burglary.
The 20-year-old Dewald is accused of abducting a 4-year-old girl on April 25 in Washington Township.
Dewald is believed to have entered the 4-year-old's home through an unlocked door.
On April 25, troopers responded to a report of a missing girl at around 3:30 a.m.
According to documents, the girl's father woke up at 3 a.m. to use the bathroom when he saw the girl's bedroom door cracked open and the front door was "ajar."
He searched the house for the girl before calling police. There were two other children in the home during this time.
Police say a passerby then found the 4-year-old later that morning, standing along, about two and half miles away from where she was taken.
On April 29, a trooper spoke with the home owner of a residence located directly beside where the girl was found.
According to the affidavit, the homeowner said her grandson, Thomas Dewald, had been living with her for around 4 to 5 weeks.
The woman went on to say that on the day the 4-year-old went missing, she heard a baby crying in Dewald's bedroom that seemed to be coming from the wall with an air conditioning unit, but couldn't find the exact source, according to documents.
Police say upon entering the bedroom, troopers found a large wooden chest directly under the air conditioning unit.
After obtaining a search warrant, state police found long blonde hair inside the wooden chest and large strips of black tape.
The black tape had shoe print imprints, along with dirt, grass and long blonde hair stuck to it, according to police.
The affidavit says Dewald returned home and admitted to his involvement the child abduction.
During questioning, police say Dewald admitted to searching for children playing unsupervised in yards with no video surveillance nearby.
He told officers he saw children at two residences in particular that he felt lived in "deplorable conditions," according to the affidavit.
Documents go on to say that Dewald told police he entered the home of the 4-year-old girl through an unlocked front door and took her from the bedroom. He said he would have taken her male sibling but he was "too heavy."
Dewald said he brought the girl back to his residence where he laid in bed with her fully dressed, according to the affidavit.
He said during this interaction his penis became erect and "might" have touched her clothing. He also told authorities that he masturbated near the child, according to police.
Dewald told police he bound the 4-year-old girl with tape and placed her in the wooden chest, telling her he would return around noon, according to documents.
Police say when Dewald returned home, the girl was no longer in the wooden chest and he was unsure how she escaped from being bound.
Police reveal more details on man arrested for child abduction in Franklin Co.
State Police have revealed more information about the arrest of Thomas Dewald for child abduction and attempted burglary. The 20-year-old Dewald is accused of abducting a 4-year-old girl on April 25 in Washington Township. 4. 29 Child Abduction Arrest. Dewald is believed to have entered the...
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