A Florida man was found not guilty by reason of insanity on two counts of attempted kidnapping in regards
to an April 8, 2008 incident involving two Hoytville girls.
The ruling came last week in the courtroom of Wood County Common Pleas Court Judge Robert Pollex.
Patrick Kidwell Jr., 45, formerly of St. Augustine, Fla., was facing four felony charges in relation to
the incident. The two counts of attempted abduction were dismissed due to the findings.
Kidwell was evaluated by Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare in Toledo and according to court records, the
sanity report indicated Kidwell was to be "considered to be not responsible under the standards set
forth" in the Ohio Revised Code.
He thus was adjudicated not guilty but ordered to be hospitalized as someone who is mentally ill. Pollex
ordered the defendant to be committed to Northcoast for "an indefinite period, not to exceed eight
years, and subject to further review hearings." The first of those hearings is set for Dec. 15 at
10 a.m.
The victims in this case were ages 7 and 10 at the time Kidwell attempted to the lure them into his
vehicle at the village park.