‘You’re mine now’ Ohio woman kidnapped, held captive in pit by Dennis Dunn recalls ordeal: ‘When he closed the shed door, he said I love you’
The case against kidnap accused Dennis Dunn, will go before a grand jury, the judge ruled Thursday
Kidnap victim Jennifer Elliott testified in court that her captor said ‘You’re mine now” before stuffing her under a shed in his backyard in Blanchester, Ohio
She recalled that ‘When he [Dunn] closed the shed door, he said I love you’
Dennis Dunn, 45, was charged with kidnapping relating to the abduction of Jennifer Elliott
He was arrested April, 25 after holding Elliott captive in a pit inside shed behind his home
She was rescued when her mother called authorities after hearing cries from the shed in Dunn’s backyard
Bond remains at $1 million, he’s prohibited from contact with Elliott
Dennis Dunn was charged with kidnapped Jennifer Elliott and stuck her in a tiny pit in his backyard shed
Jennifer Elliott was testifying in a preliminary hearing about her harrowing ordeal that took place behind Dennis Dunn’s home in Blanchester.
“When he closed the shed door, he said ‘I love you,'” Elliott said in a Wilmington courtroom, according to WCPO. “I remember banging on the dirt and screaming.”
Elliott also testified that before she was placed in the pit, Dunn who has a history of mental illness told her, “you’re mine now”.
Elliott, 30, was testifying at a preliminary hearing in court Thursday, in a suit against her 45-year-old neighbor, Dunn accused of holding her captive in April.
Prior to the kidnap incident Dunn had harassed her with repeated phone calls and text messages, authorities say.
Officers arrest Dennis Dunn after Elliott was rescued from the pit in his backyard shed
Elliott from Blanchester, Ohio was rescued from a shed behind the home owned by her neighbor, Dennis Dunn at approximately 4 a.m. on April 26. Her mother had been frantically searching for her when she heard a noise coming from the area behind Dunn’s home.
“So I started pounding on the side of the shed and I said, ‘Jennifer, if you’re in there peck again so we know you’re in there, we will get you out,'” Jennifer’s mom, Gail Rowe said.
Police arrived short while later, only to find the shed bolted shut with a padlock, according to the station. Once they were able to open the shed, they found no one inside.
“So they tore up the floor and then we were like, ‘where’s she at?’ Well, then there was another board and they pulled that off and that’s when they found the hole,” Rowe told wlwt
Kidnap victim Jennifer Elliott testifies that her captor said ‘You’re mine now” before stuffing her under shed
The case against Dunn, who is charged with kidnapping, will go before a grand jury, a judge ruled Thursday. His bond remains at $1 million and he cannot have any contact with Elliott, the station reported.
Jennifer Elliott said in court that she did not believe she would ever get out of that hole.
“He would make threats and call me a ‘piece of s—,'” Elliott said.
The shed stands in a backyard where police say Dunn kept Elliott
The shed was padlocked when police arrived
Dunn’s lawyer claims he is not competent to stand trial, but a judge has yet to rule on that, the motion.
Earlier in April, Dunn repeatedly called police to his home because he heard voices or believed people were trying to break in. Officers investigated each time, but found no signs of intruders.
Neighbors later saw Dunn in his yard with a pistol and alerted authorities.
Dunn was charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and possession of marijuana. He was also hospitalized on a psychiatric evaluation, but later released.
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