Pizzeria worker pleads not guilty to kidnapping Missouri boy; charges pending in 2nd case

UNION, Mo. (AP) _ A pizzeria worker pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of kidnapping a 13-year-old boy who was found four days later in the man's apartment with another boy who had been missing

Thursday, January 18th 2007, 9:43 am

By: News On 6

UNION, Mo. (AP) _ A pizzeria worker pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of kidnapping a 13-year-old boy who was found four days later in the man's apartment with another boy who had been missing for more than four years.

Michael Devlin, 41, is charged with abducting Ben Ownby after the boy stepped off a school bus earlier this month.

Devlin, also a part-time funeral home employee, remained in the Franklin County Jail during the arraignment, appearing through a video hookup. He is jailed on $1 million bond.

Devlin stood with his hands folded in front of his stomach, wearing orange jail-issued clothing. He mostly responded to the judge's questions with yes or no answers and did not make a statement.

Devlin's defense attorneys told reporters they wanted the case moved from Franklin County.

``There's no way we can get a fair trial in this county with the amount of attention it's gotten,'' defense attorney Michael Kielty said.

Devlin also is charged with kidnapping Shawn Hornbeck, then 11, in 2002 as the boy was riding his bicycle. Shawn, now 15, was found last week when investigators looking for Ben went into Devlin's apartment in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood.

A probable cause statement released by Washington County prosecutor John Rupp said Devlin ``abducted SDH utilizing force for the purpose of terrorizing the victim. After securing SDH, Michael Devlin flourished a handgun in order to gain compliance of the minor child. Michael Devlin then transported him out of the county and concealed his whereabouts for four years and three months.''

Washington County Sheriff Kevin Schroeder called Shawn ``very strong'' and ``very articulate,'' but said investigators are being careful not to push Shawn too hard because of his age.

``Give Shawn some time and proceed through this thing slowly,'' Schroeder said. ``He's been away from his family four-and-a-half years. We've got to give him some time to rejoin that family unit.

``This is something so bizarre that the normal individual cannot grasp what this then-11-year-old boy went through.''

Devlin also is under investigation in the 1991 disappearance of another Missouri boy who has not been found, The Associated Press has learned. Devlin is the ``most viable lead'' in the case of Charles Arlin Henderson, who was 11 when he disappeared in 1991 and has never been found, Lincoln County sheriff's deputies said.

Charles Arlin Henderson, known as Arlin, was, like Ben and Shawn, about 100 pounds and from a rural town about an hour from St. Louis. Both Shawn and Arlin vanished at age 11 while riding their bikes.

``If you were to take a photo of Arlin Henderson and you place it next to Shawn's picture, there is a striking resemblance,'' Lincoln County sheriff's Lt. Rick Harrell said.

Investigators began re-examining the 1991 case after Devlin's arrest. Detective Chris Bartlett said a witness saw a man snapping photos of Arlin before the Moscow Mills boy vanished.

Arlin's uncle, James McWilliams, said the boy came home from school a few months before he disappeared and told his mother a ``tall, thin man'' had been taking pictures of him.

Asked whether the man's description fit that of Devlin, who stands about 6-foot-4 and weighs around 300 pounds, Bartlett said: ``It matched the description enough that we have to pursue him as the most viable lead.''

``We've got other indications that cause us to be concerned with this,'' he added.

Lincoln County deputies have sent their leads to the Franklin County task force that spearheaded the hunt for Ben.

Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke said his office and the FBI were investigating whether Devlin might have been involved in other abductions. FBI spokesman Pete Krusing would not discuss whether the agency was investigating a link between Devlin and the 1991 case.

The two boys' families made their first extended public appearance Wednesday at a taping of the Oprah Winfrey show. Family members didn't detail the boys' experiences during the show, which airs Thursday, audience members said as they left the studio.