PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Punta Gorda woman is behind bars after deputies said she hid a missing teenage boy who she was trying to adopt.

On the night of Feb. 10, deputies with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office responded to Crossroads Hope Academy, a foster care service in Punta Gorda, regarding the missing boy.

Earlier that day, officials said the teen had been allowed to go to South County Park. However, when staff tried to pick him up, he was gone.

According to authorities, the boy had been involved in an unreported incident with 61-year-old volunteer, Sherry J. Novelli.

When Novelli was questioned she said the last time she saw the teen was at the park, where she had given him food before he left.

According to the sheriff’s office, Novelli was in the process of trying to adopt the teen. She even purchased the boy’s cell phone and provided service to it, gave him a laptop as an additional form of communication, and opened a bank account in his name.

While at the foster home, she attempted to remove him from their care so she could help homeschool him, get him to work, and continue her adoption process. The sheriff’s office said Novelli “became upset” when the staff told her she could not take this action, as she was not his legal guardian. Staff asked the woman to leave and cut off contact with the children in their facility.

Novelli told authorities she didn’t know where the boy was, suggesting he may be in Tampa, and asked detectives for the steps being taken to find him. According to detectives, Novelli missed a meeting with them and asked to reschedule, claiming she had a dentist appointment in Venice.

Later, the teen’s phone was pinged in Venice. Detectives found the boy in Novelli’s vehicle in the parking lot of a dental practice.

When interviewed by detectives, the teen admitted he planned to run away after staff told him Novelli wouldn’t be able to visit him at the foster care home.

The boy also revealed Novelli had set him up in a condo and would visit him, bringing alcohol, cigarettes, and a marijuana vape pen. He added that they would drink alcohol together at the condo. During her visits, she would also use a code word to let him know it was her.

The teen claimed the two did not have a sexual relationship.

“Youth who are enrolled at Crossroads Hope Academy have already had a rough go of things. To further complicate their lives is not a ‘motherly’ thing to do, and it only further harms them,” Sheriff Bill Prummell said. “This woman made a series of poor choices, and it is clear that she is not what is best for this young man. I hope that her impact is not long-lasting and that he finds the right person to help him find his way. “

Novelli was arrested on charges of interfering with child custody and contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a child. She was taken to the Charlotte County Jail, where she has since bonded out.