Ohio woman testifies neighbor said "I love you" before trapping her in pit

WILMINGTON, Ohio - An Ohio woman who authorities found trapped in a small pit in a neighbor's shed testified in court Thursday that the man told her he loved her as he closed the shed door.

The woman testified at a hearing for Dennis Dunn in Clinton County Municipal Court. Dunn, 45, was arrested April 26 on a charge of kidnapping when police found the woman after someone reported hearing cries from the shed in Blanchester, about 40 miles northeast of Cincinnati.

Police have said she may have been trapped about four hours.

Dunn's lawyer, James Hartke, said Thursday that no plea has been entered, but that he does not believe Dunn is guilty of kidnapping. The judge sent the case to the county Common Pleas Court, and it's expected to go before a grand jury.

Hartke has said he believes Dunn suffers from an undiagnosed mental disorder. The judge did not rule on his request for a court-ordered psychological evaluation to determine if Dunn is competent to assist in his defense, Hartke said. Police have said Dunn has a history of mental health issues. 

Harke said the woman testified Mr. Dunn didn't physically stop her from leaving: "To me, that means that he did not kidnap her; might have been, potentially, unlawful restraint."  

According to CBS affiliate WKRC the woman testified that Dunn had a knife when he pushed her into the hole.

The woman's mother initially reported her missing about 2 a.m. April 26. Police said the mother called them about two hours later to report hearing cries from the shed behind Dunn's house. An officer found the woman in the shed, crouching in a pit about 2 feet wide by 2 feet long and about 3 1/2 feet deep with wood over the top of it.

The 30-year-old woman testified Thursday that she remembers stepping outside her home to smoke a cigarette, but doesn't remember exactly how she got into the shed.

"When he closed the shed door, he said, 'I love you.' I remember banging on the dirt and screaming," WCPO-TV in Cincinnati reported the woman testified.

WKRC reports that the woman testified she had not had a romantic relationship with Dunn but had gone to his house to do laundry. Police have said that the woman in October 2016 reported receiving harassing phone calls and text messages from Dunn, who she and her family had known for years. The woman declined to participate in any prosecution of Dunn at that time. 

The station reports that the police officer who rescued the woman testified that the woman's mother, who reported her missing, said Dunn had a romantic fascination with her daughter. He also testified that the woman suffers from seizures and hadn't taken her medication that morning. She was having a seizure when police found her and was taken to a hospital, where she was treated and released, police said.

Police Chief Scott Reinbolt has said heavy objects, including lawn equipment, had been placed on the wood over the pit, preventing the woman from getting out.

A message seeking comment from the prosecutor wasn't immediately returned Thursday.