Two men arrested in attempted kidnapping of a 17-year-old girl

LONDON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — Two Illinois men have been arrested in Laurel County after authorities say they attempted to kidnap a 17-year-old girl early Saturday.

Laurel County Sheriff John Root said deputies were dispatched around 6:07 a.m. Jan. 31 to a residence off U.S. 25, about seven miles south of London, after a mother reported two men had come to her home claiming they were there to pick up her teenage daughter.

According to the sheriff’s office, the men arrived in a silver vehicle with Illinois license plates and told the girl’s mother that her daughter was the girlfriend of one of the men. The mother told them to leave and contacted authorities.

Deputies said the investigation revealed the 17-year-old had allegedly been communicating online for about two months with a 19-year-old suspect, who planned to take her to Texas. Deputies also observed footprints in the snow outside the home and an outbuilding believed to have been made by the suspects.

While Sgt. Robert Reed continued investigating at the residence, Deputy Robert Smith located the suspect vehicle in the parking lot of a business on U.S. 25 in southern Laurel County and detained the occupants.

Authorities identified the suspects as Gabriel Waibel, 19, of Peoria, Illinois, and Chad Golfinett, 43, of Peoria Heights, Illinois.

Waibel was charged with attempted kidnapping of a minor, unlawful transaction with a minor (first offense)involving an alleged illegal sex act under age 18, and first-degree sexual abuse, according to the sheriff’s office.

Golfinett, the driver of the vehicle, was charged with complicity to kidnapping of a minor and possession of marijuana.

Both men were lodged in the Laurel County Correctional Center. Photos of the accused were provided by the detention facility.