A woman who claimed she was adopting a missing teenager is facing charges after deputies found the boy in her car while secretly housing him, supplying alcohol and drugs, and defying court custody orders.
Charlotte County deputies responded to a call for a missing teenage boy at Crossroads Hope Academy in Punta Gorda on February 10 shortly before 10 p.m.
According to a CCSO news release, deputies learned the boy was granted permission to go to South County Park but he was not found when staff tried to get him from the park later.
It was learned that he was involved in an unreported incident earlier in the day that involved a volunteer named Sherry Novelli.
Novelli, 61, was reportedly in the process of attempting to adopt the teen. However, following the incident, Novelli was asked to leave Crossroads and no longer have contact with the youth in their care.
Deputies spoke with Novelli and she said the last time she had seen the teen was at South County Park to bring him food and leave.
According to CCSO, the case was given to a detective for further investigation. When the detective made contact with Crossroads, they learned Novelli purchased the boy's cell phone and provided service for it.
She also opened a bank account in his name.
According to the report, Novelli said she did not know where the boy was when the detective asked about the purchase and bank account.
Novelli suggested the teen might've been in Tampa and wanted to know what steps were being taken to locate him.
According to CCSO, the detective arranged to meet with Novelli, but she missed it and rescheduled for later in the afternoon because she had a dentist appointment in Venice.
It was soon discovered that Novelli had already been to the CCSO Administration Office. She was seeking help with having the teen removed from Crossroads so she could help him with homeschooling, getting him to work and continue her efforts to adopt him.
However, she grew upset when she was told she had no grounds to do this as she was not his legal guardian.
According to CCSO, further investigation revealed that no steps had been taken for an actual legal adoption.
The teen's phone was also pinged and it showed he was in Venice. Investigators remembered Novelli said she was going to a dentist appointment in Venice and they contacted several dental practices in the area and the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office to check the location.
CCSO said the teen was found in Novelli's car in the parking lot of the office. Both Novelli and the teen were taken into custody.
The boy admitted he planned to run away after he learned Novelli would no longer be allowed to see him at Crossroads. According to the report, Novelli set the teen up in a condo and would come spend time with him there.
She reportedly brought alcohol, cigarettes and a marijuana vape pen for him, and the two would drink alcohol together there.
According to CCSO, she also gave him a laptop as another option for communicating. Novelli used a code word when she arrived to let him know it was her.
The teen said there was no sexual relationship between him and Novelli.
Novelli provided a confession to the detective and was arrested, CCSO said.
She is facing charges of interference with child custody and contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a child.
Novelli was taken to Charlotte County Jail but has since bonded out.