PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — A 61-year-old Florida woman was arrested after deputies said she hid and housed a teenager who had been reported missing from a foster care service, providing him with alcohol and cigarettes in the process.

Sherry Novelli has been charged with interfering with the custody of a minor and contributing to delinquency.

Just before 10 p.m. on Feb. 10, deputies responded to Crossroads Hope Academy in Punta Gorda after receiving reports of a missing teenage boy, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. They reportedly learned that the boy had been allowed to go to South County Park, but he wasn’t found when staff went to pick him up.

Staff later told deputies that the boy was involved in “an unreported incident” where Novelli, a volunteer at the service,  attempted to adopt the teen before she was asked to leave and “no longer have contact with the youth in their care.”

Deputies eventually reached Novelli, who told them the last time she saw the missing boy was at South County Park, where she gave him food and left.

As the investigation went on, deputies reportedly learned that Novelli had bought the boy’s cell phone and was providing service for it, on top of opening a bank account in the teen’s name.

When she was questioned again, Novelli said the missing teen might have been in Tampa. Detectives arranged a meeting with the 61-year-old woman, which she rescheduled for later in the afternoon, citing a dentist appointment in Venice.

Later on in the investigation, the sheriff’s office learned that Novelli had been trying to get the teen removed from Crossroads to help him with homeschooling and getting him to work.

“She became upset when she was told she had no grounds to do this as she was not his legal guardian,” deputies stated in the release. “Further investigation found that no steps had been taken for an actual legal adoption.”

The sheriff’s office was able to ping the teen’s phone, which revealed him to be in Venice. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office was able to trace the ping to Novelli’s dentist appointment before finding the missing teen in her car.

The teen reportedly admitted that he planned to run away after he learned that Novelli was no longer allowed to see him at Crossroads. The agency also learned that Novelli had set him up in a condo and would bring him alcohol, cigarettes and a marijuana vape pen. The two would also allegedly drink the alcohol together.

Novelli eventually confessed to a detective before she was arrested, the sheriff’s office said. She was taken to Charlotte County Jail and has since bonded out.

“This woman made a series of poor choices, and it is clear that she is not what is best for this young man,” Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummel stated in the release. “I hope that her impact is not long-lasting and that he finds the right person to help him find his way.”