AKRON, Ohio — The Wooster man accused of stealing a truck with a 2-year-old boy inside, triggering an Amber Alert, made his first court appearance earlier this week.
Larry Spence, 54, pleaded not guilty to kidnapping in Wayne County Common Pleas Court. Spence continues to be held without bond will be back in court for a preliminary hearing on Friday.
The Amber Alert on March 1 came after the Wayne County Sheriff's Office reported a Black 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck was taken from the Marshallville Dollar General with a juvenile in the back seat sleeping. That incident happened at around 2:11 p.m., with the alert going out approximately 30 minutes later.
Akron police say they received a call to assist in the search for the truck at around 3:12 p.m. Utilizing the Flock camera license plate reader, officers received two alerts in three minutes to help pinpoint the location of the child and the suspect in Akron's Kenmore neighborhood.
Roughly 20 minutes later, Akron police found the truck near East Avenue and Florida Avenue and located the boy safe. Police told 3News that the suspect was arrested about a half mile away from where the child was located. Marshallville police officials said the boy was "in great shape" after being checked out by first responders.
PREVIOUSLY: Ohio Amber Alert update: 2-year-old boy abducted in Wayne County found safe in Akron; suspect in custody
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