CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – A 20-year-old man charged with abducting a 4-year-old girl from her Pennsylvania home and stuffing her into a wooden trunk has waived his preliminary hearing on kidnapping, indecent assault and other charges.
Thomas Dewald is set to stand trial after waiving Tuesday's court appearance in Franklin County.
Police say Dewald entered a home's unlocked front door on April 25, snatched the girl from her bed, and bound and put her in a trunk at his grandparents' house. State police say the child managed to escape and was found safe near the house where Dewald had been staying in Waynesboro, about 165 miles (265 kilometers) west of Philadelphia.
Authorities say Dewald told troopers he had been scoping out children who he thought lived in "deplorable conditions."
Dewald remains jailed without bail.