Two Illinois men are set to appear in a Kentucky courtroom the morning of Monday, February 2, after police arrested the pair for allegedly trying to kidnap a teenage girl right from her home.
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office arrested the men — Gabriel Waibel, 19, and Chad Goffinet, 43 — on Saturday, January 31, after getting a call from the teen’s mother. The mom told county dispatchers Waibel and Goffinet showed up at their London home before 6 a.m. and informed her that they would be leaving with her daughter.
Waibel even told the mother that her child was his girlfriend, according to a statement from police.
The mother said that she told the two men to leave, which they did — in a silver vehicle. She then called 911 with a description of their car.
Within minutes, deputies caught up with the men — who are both from Peoria — in a nearby business’ parking lot and questioned them.
Other deputies arrived at the home to find footprints in the snow leading up and away from the home. The same footprints were found around an accessory building and other areas of the property, police explained in the statement.
Investigators eventually learned that the girl, who is 17, had been communicating online with Waibel for the last two months.
Police said that they believe the two suspects were planning on traveling to Texas with the teen. It was unclear what they planned on doing once they arrived in the Lonestar State.
A news release on the men’s arrests does confirm that Waibel allegedly told police he planned on bringing the girl back to his home in Illinois at some point — without her parents’ consent.
Waibel was formally charged with attempted kidnapping of a minor, first-degree unlawful transaction with a minor, illegal sex act with a minor under 18, and first-degree sexual abuse.
Meanwhile, Goffinet, who was driving the silver car, was charged with complicity in the kidnapping of a minor and possession of marijuana.
Waibel is being held on a $75,000 bond while Goffinet has been remanded on a $50,000 cash bond.
It was unclear how the two men knew each other. It was also unclear what led to the sexual abuse charge.
Us Weekly was unable to determine what pleas the men entered on Monday. Information about their attorneys was also unavailable at press time.
Waibel is facing a serious amount of jail time if convicted. First-degree unlawful transaction with a minor is punishable by up to 12 months in jail. He could be sent to prison for up to 20 years if he’s convicted on the attempted kidnapping count.
Meanwhile, a conviction for first-degree sexual abuse carries a one- to five-year prison sentence for those found guilty.
If you know of a young person who is being exploited or are the victim of a crime, you are urged to report it to your local FBI field office by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be left at tips.fbi.gov
