New York authorities justified the actions of a state trooper who failed to follow Craig Ross Jr., a man arrested in the Charlotte Sena kidnapping, after he left a ransom note at the Sena family’s home Monday morning.
NYSP public information officer Stephanie O’Neil said it wasn’t unusual for Ross Jr. to drop a note off at 4:20 a.m. at the Sena’s residence Corinth home, given that visitors were driving by after the child’s kidnapping.
“Like many other instances where families are experiencing something traumatic, we anticipated there would be a flow of constant traffic in front of the house throughout the night to show support for the family,” she told Fox News Digital.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, police arrested 46-year-old Ross Jr. at a camper van behind his mother’s property in Porters Corners on Monday, following 9-year-old Charlotte’s disappearance.
She was abducted over the weekend while riding her bike at New York’s Moreau Lake State Park on a camping trip with her family. He then went to her parents’ home and left a ransom note while police were reportedly monitoring the area.
A state trooper, according to reports, failed to immediately follow the defendant, which allowed precious hours to lapse during the search. However, the trooper did find Ross Jr.’s visit suspicious, according to what New York State Police spokesperson Deanna Cohen told The New York Times.
“That is when he checked the mailbox and found the note,” she said.
While awaiting fingerprint results from the note, police reportedly searched the vicinity for any matching tire tracks from Ross’s vehicle.
Retired NYPD inspector Paul Mauro added that regardless, police had Ross Jr. in custody within hours and Charlotte was returned home safely.
“They got the guy fast, it appears to be the right guy, and the girl was alive. On an abduction, you can’t do much better than that…Nobody had probably conceived the idea of a ransom note drop off. Who would?”
Ross Jr. was booked on a first-degree kidnapping charge. He’s being held at the Saratoga County Jail without bond.
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[Feature Photo: Craig Ross/Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office]
