x
Breaking News
More () »

Pizza delivery driver calls police after woman mouths 'help me'

Pizza guy calls police after woman mouths 'help me'
Credit: Thinkstock Photos
Pizza delivery

WALDO, Wis. – A pizza delivery driver alerted police last week about a kidnapped woman who was being held at a Wisconsin home.

The delivery driver arrived at a home Thursday in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, and was greeted by a couple at the door. While the man was paying for the pizza, the woman, who had a black eye, mouthed "help me" and "call the police" to the driver, the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office said.

In an interview with NBC News on Monday, the delivery driver, identified as Joseph Grundl, said he called police when he returned to the restaurant.

"I left and then when I got back to the restaurant, which is about an 8-minute drive away, I dialed 911," he said.

Sept. 22: Four charged in plot to kidnap, rape and kill a child

Sept. 19: Wanda Barzee, one of the kidnappers of Elizabeth Smart, released from prison

Sheriff's deputies arrived at the home a short time later and could hear the woman yelling "help me" and "please come in," the sheriff's office said.

The man, Dean Hoffman, 55, eventually let deputies into the home and was arrested.

According to the sheriff's office, Hoffman entered the woman's home earlier that day, punched her, tied her up with a power cord and tried to convince her to get back in a relationship with him.

The police report said the woman "told officers she and Hoffman had previously been in a relationship and had lived together at another location from December 2016 to August 2018 when she moved out to the home where the pizza was delivered," according to NBC News.

Hoffman faces charges on suspicion of kidnapping, false imprisonment, strangulation and suffocation, felony intimidation of a victim and burglary.

Follow Trent Tetzlaff on Twitter: @ttetz5

Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10News app now.

Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.

Before You Leave, Check This Out