BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. – Craig Ross Jr., the 46-year-old New York man accused of abducting a nine-year-old girl from her bicycle and holding her for ransom, is now accused of raping the child while he kept her captive in a camper behind his mom’s double-wide trailer.
A Saratoga County court unsealed a nine-count indictment Friday as Ross pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Police arrested Ross last month on kidnapping charges, but he now faces charges of first-degree rape, predatory sex assault against a child and more.
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Craig Nelson Ross Jr. sits alongside his conflict attorney George Conway for his arraignment before Judge James Murphy in Saratoga County Court in Ballston Spa, New York on Friday, November 17, 2003. Ross is charged with kidnapping a nine-year-old girl from Moreau Lake State Park. (Hans Pennink for Fox News Digital)
Police say he left his fingerprints on a ransom note that a state trooper watched him stuff into the victim’s family’s mailbox.
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A DUI arrest from 1999 helped police identify the suspect, whom they traced to the camper on his mother’s property.
“Within the camper, they located the suspect,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a news briefing after tactical teams captured Ross and rescued the girl alive. “After some resistance, the suspect was taken into custody, and immediately the little girl was found in a cabinet, covered. She was rescued.”
Ross’ mother told reporters to get off her property when approached for comment, and she has not returned calls.
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Judge James Murphy ordered Ross held without bail and scheduled his next hearing for December 21.
In addition to the DWI, Ross had a prior domestic violence charge. State police told Fox News Digital that there was no record of any sex-related crimes in his past.
Craig Nelson Ross Jr. enters the courtroom for his arraignment before Judge James Murphy in Saratoga County Court in Ballston Spa, New York on Friday, November 17, 2003. Ross is charged with kidnapping a nine-year-old girl from Moreau Lake State Park. (Hans Pennink for Fox News Digital)
Ross’ son told Fox News Digital that he hoped his father dies in prison over the allegations. He also said that he hadn’t seen any warning signs.
“I don’t know anything,” he said. “I hate him and hope he dies in prison.”
Fox News’ Chris Eberhart contributed to this report.
