The Latest: Police say woman in pit had reported harassment

BLANCHESTER, Ohio (AP) — The Latest on a woman found in a pit in her neighbor’s shed (all times local):

5 p.m.

Police say an Ohio woman who was kidnapped and kept trapped in a small pit in her neighbor’s shed had reported receiving harassing phone calls and text messages from him.

Blanchester police say the woman was reported missing early Wednesday and was found about two hours later by officers responding to neighbors’ calls about a woman crying. They say she reported the harassment by Dennis Dunn in October. But they say she declined to participate in any prosecution of him at that time.

Dunn was arrested and jailed Wednesday. He can’t be reached for comment. He awaits a court appearance Thursday on a felony kidnapping charge.

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4:30 p.m.

Police say an Ohio man accused of kidnapping a neighbor and keeping her trapped in a small pit is set to appear in court Thursday on a felony charge of kidnapping.

Blanchester police Chief Scott Reinbolt says Dennis Dunn was arrested Wednesday after police found the woman, who had been reported missing by her mother around 2 a.m.

Police say officers responding to neighbors’ calls of a woman crying about 4 a.m. found her crouching in a pit about 2 feet wide by 2 feet long and about 3 1/2 feet deep in a shed behind Dunn’s house.

Reinbolt says neighbors told police Dunn might possess an assault rifle but he “nonchalantly” came out of the front door and was arrested without incident.

Dunn is in custody and can’t be reached for comment.

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3:10 p.m.

Police say an Ohio man with mental health problems kidnapped a neighbor and kept her trapped in a small pit in his backyard shed, where her cries for help alerted other people living nearby and led to her rescue.

Blanchester police say Dennis Dunn has a history of mental health issues and was taken to jail. The woman was treated at a hospital and released.

Police say the woman was reported missing around 2 a.m. Wednesday and neighbors called them about 4 a.m. after hearing cries from the shed in Blanchester.

Officers found the woman in the pit. They say the hole was covered with a wooden board that had heavy objects on top of it, preventing her from getting out.

It can’t be determined whether Dunn has an attorney to comment on the accusations.

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This item has been corrected to show police say Dunn was taken to a jail, not a hospital.

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