Charlotte Sena ‘kidnapper’ Craig Ross Jr. pleads not guilty to snatching nine-year-old from upstate New York camping ground – and then demanding $50,000 in ransom note

A man suspected of kidnapping a nine-year-old girl from a New York camp has pleaded not guilty after appearing in court.

Craig Ross Jr was charged with kidnapping Charlotte Sena last month after she was found hidden in a cupboard in his caravan in the backyard of his mother’s estate.

The nine-year-old went missing after riding her bicycle through Moreau Lake State Park in September.

In Saratoga County Court earlier today, Ross pleaded not guilty to the first-degree kidnapping charge. This carries a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

Ross was arrested by officers after he allegedly left a ransom note in the mailbox of the Sena family home, with fingerprints allegedly matching a 1999 drunk driving charge against him.

Ross was arrested by officers after allegedly leaving a ransom note in the mailbox of the Sena family home, with fingerprints allegedly matching a 1999 drunk driving charge against him

Nine-year-old Charlotte, seen here, went missing after riding her bicycle through Moreau Lake State Park in September

Charlotte was cycling alone on Loop A of Moreau Lake State Park in New York, near Saratoga Springs, when she disappeared.

She was cycling with a friend and family, but said she wanted to do “one last lap” alone before returning to camp.

It should have only taken a few minutes for the small loop to complete, but her parents realized she had not returned and became concerned.

Her parents then called authorities after discovering her bicycle on the trail, while authorities searched the 6,250-acre park and found no trace of her.

Ross, seen here in an earlier mugshot, is said to have left a ransom note at the Sena family home

After Charlotte disappeared, a multi-agency search was launched spanning 47 miles, involving 400 personnel from federal, state and local agencies on the ground.

After Ross allegedly left the ransom note demanding $50,000, police managed to match fingerprints and turned up at his mother’s trailer in Milton.

Law enforcement sources also claimed at the time that he forced her to write her own ransom note.

Two SWAT teams – one state and one federal – stormed the property via helicopter, with Ross reportedly engaging in a struggle.

Ross, who looked disheveled in an earlier mugshot released by New York State Police, was described as a “recluse” who would care for his 11-year-old daughter half the week in his $180,000 three-bedroom home.

Charlotte was taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital after she was found, where officials said she was in good physical health following the ordeal.

After the young girl was found, her mother Trisha and father David said: “We are very happy.

“A huge thank you to the FBI, the New York State Police, all the agencies that were mobilized, all the families, friends, community, neighbors and hundreds of volunteers who supported us and worked tirelessly to bring Charlotte home.”

Charlotte Sena found ‘alive and safe’ – two days after being snatched from Moreau Lake State Park in Gansevoort

Charlotte (far right) as a younger child with her mother Trisha, father David and sisters

Ross had a limited criminal history before being charged with Charlotte’s kidnapping. He was first arrested in 1999 on a DWI charge that led to his arrest.

He was given a conditional discharge after pleading guilty and was fined $325 as well as a 90-day driver’s license suspension, according to court records.

In 2016, Saratoga Springs Police Department officers charged him with aggravated harassment, though the outcome of the case is unclear.

Ross also suffers from multiple sclerosis and had just moved into the caravan that officers had raided four weeks earlier.