Teen charged in toddler kidnapping caught on video; he pleads not guilty

DAVENPORT, Wash. (AP) -- A 15-year-old boy arrested in connection with the attempted kidnapping of a young child in a small Eastern Washington community was charged in juvenile court Friday.

The boy, who appeared in court, was arrested after authorities say he tried to take a 22-month-old toddler from a city park in Sprague on Sunday — an incident that drew wide attention after it was caught on surveillance video.

He was arraigned on second-degree kidnapping charges. The boy entered a plea of not guilty. His next court appearance is April 10. The maximum penalty for the kidnapping charge is confinement until age 21.

The Associated Press is not naming the suspect because he is a juvenile.

Sprague is a farm town of about 500 people about 40 miles west of Spokane.

Surveillance video from a grocery store shows the kidnapper running with Owen Wright in his arms, with Owen’s siblings chasing after.

Owen’s two young siblings yelled and others then pursued the abductor.  The kidnapper dropped little Owen in a vacant lot and ran off.