Men charged with abducting disabled woman

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By Nancy Bowman, Contributing Writer 8:20 AM Tuesday, October 27, 2009

TROY – Bail of $300,000 each was ordered for two Raleigh, N.C., men charged with abduction and interference with custody for allegedly taking a developmentally disabled woman they met on the Internet out of state without a guardian’s permission.

Thomas Steen, 29, and Kyle Cornelius, 37, also known as Richard Tharp, pleaded not guilty to the felony charges Monday, Oct. 26, in Miami County Common Pleas Court.

Sheriff’s Capt. Dave Duchak said the woman, who is 18 but functions mentally at a much younger age, was caught this summer talking with one of the men on the Internet and prohibited by family members with further communication with him. The family later learned she had continued communications and then left with the two who came to Ohio on Sept. 3, he said.

She later was located in North Carolina and returned to the county.

Steen and Cornelius were indicted by a grand jury in September, and then extradited.

During Monday’s court hearing, Judge Jeffrey Welbaum said a bond check showed both men had court records. For Cornelius, prior convictions included sex with an underage person, possession of pornography and failure to register as a sex offender Steen’s record included convictions for forgery, embezzlement and failure to appear for court, he said.

Pretrial hearings for both men are scheduled for Monday, Nov. 2. They remain in the county jail.

Contact this reporter at nancykburr@aol.com or (937) 339-4371.

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