NEW YORK — A man accused of kidnapping a 9-year-old girl from a state park in upstate New York has pleaded guilty to two felonies and faces 47 years to life in prison.
Craig N. Ross Jr. pleaded guilty Wednesday under a plea agreement to first-degree kidnapping and predatory sexual assault of a child, according to the Saratoga County district attorney.
Ross was charged with the girl’s kidnapping on Sept. 30 at Moreau Lake State Park, located in a rural area about 35 miles (60 kilometers) north of Albany. A search involving more than 100 people ended two days later, when state police officers and an FBI SWAT team raided a trailer where Ross was staying. Rescuers found the girl alive in a cabinet.
Ross, 46, had faced additional charges of sexual abuse, assault and endangering the welfare of a child. His trial was scheduled to begin on April 8.
He now faces 25 years to life in prison for first-degree kidnapping and 22 years to life in prison for predatory sexual assault of a child when he is sentenced April 17. The sentences will be served consecutively.
“With Craig N. Ross Jr.’s guilty plea today, the victim and his family were able to hear the defendant admit his guilt for these heinous and despicable acts,” District Attorney Karen Heggen said in a prepared statement. “He will spend decades in prison before he can be considered for parole.”
The break in the kidnapping case came after officers stationed at the girl’s home saw someone drop a ransom note in the family’s mailbox before dawn. State police matched the fingerprints on the note with those of Ross, who was in a database due to a 1999 drunk driving case.
2024-02-22 15:09:03
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