BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. (AP) — A man was sentenced Wednesday to 47 years to life in prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl who went missing from a state park in upstate New York last year.
Craig N. Ross Jr. pleaded guilty in February to taking the girl in September from a campground at Moreau Lake State Park, a rural area about 35 miles (60 kilometers) north of Albany. The disappearance sparked a 48-hour-search that ended when she was found alive at a camper Ross was staying in.
“Because of you, I can't sleep at night," the girl, who was not present, said in a statement read in court by Saratoga County Assistant District Attorney Jennifer L. Buckley. “I was imprisoned for two and a half days, and now you will be imprisoned for 47 years."
Judge James A. Murphy III also issued a protective order for the girl so that Ross cannot contact her in person or through mail.
Ross, 47, was shackled when he entered the courtroom and appeared to show little emotion throughout the sentencing. He declined to speak.
The little girl had been riding on a bike path with friends at the campground near her home on the evening of Sept. 30 when she went to take one last lap of the path on her own and didn't return.
More than 100 people searched for her. A break in the case came when law enforcement guarding the girl's home saw someone place a ransom note in its mailbox.
Police eventually matched fingerprints on the note to Ross, who was in the database because of a 1999 drunk driving case. State police and an FBI SWAT team then descended on the camper, where the child was found in a cabinet.
Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen told reporters she was happy with the sentence following the hearing.
“The family heard this defendant say that he's guilty of this crime. He admitted he did it, and those who would had to have been called upon to testify were spared having to relive that trauma,” she said.
Ross, who had previously been scheduled to stand trial this month, was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years to life in prison for the kidnapping charge and 22 years to life for predatory sexual assault of a child, with the sentences to be served consecutively.
Maysoon Khan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
FILE - Craig N. Ross Jr. is arraigned before Judge James A. Murphy III on charges related to the kidnapping of a 9-year-old from Moreau Lake State Park, Nov. 17, 2023, at Saratoga County Court in Ballston Spa, N.Y. Ross was sentenced Wednesday, April 17, 2024, to 47 years to life in prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl who went missing from a state park in upstate New York last year. (Will Waldron/The Albany Times Union via AP, File)
LONDON (AP) — King Charles III returned to public duties on Tuesday, visiting a cancer treatment charity and beginning his carefully managed comeback after the monarch’s own cancer diagnosis sidelined him for three months.
The event marks the king’s first formal public engagement since Feb. 6, when Buckingham Palace announced that he would be taking a break from public duties to focus on his treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer.
It will be the first of several public appearances Charles will make in the coming weeks as he prepares to host a state visit by the emperor and empress of Japan in June.
It is unclear how many of the summer’s traditional royal events, including the king’s formal birthday parade and the horse racing at Royal Ascot, Charles will attend as his treatment continues. The palace said last week that doctors were “very encouraged” by the king’s progress, but his schedule would be adjusted as needed to protect his recovery.
For now, Tuesday’s appearance gives Charles another opportunity to raise awareness of the benefits of early diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other health problems as he has done throughout his illness.
Unlike most royals before him, Charles chose to publicly disclose details about his health when he first underwent treatment for an enlarged prostate and later when he was diagnosed with cancer. The decision raised awareness of these issues.
The National Health Service in England said the number of people seeking advice about prostate problems increased 11-fold in the weeks after Charles’ announced he was undergoing treatment.
Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive for a visit to University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The King, Patron of Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support, and Queen Camilla visited the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre, meeting patients and staff. This visit is to raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and will highlight some of the innovative research, supported by Cancer Research UK, which is taking place at the hospital. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive for a visit to University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The King, Patron of Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support, and Queen Camilla visited the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre, meeting patients and staff. This visit is to raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and will highlight some of the innovative research, supported by Cancer Research UK, which is taking place at the hospital. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave as they arrive for a visit to University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The King, Patron of Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support, and Queen Camilla visited the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre, meeting patients and staff. This visit is to raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and will highlight some of the innovative research, supported by Cancer Research UK, which is taking place at the hospital. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave as they arrive for a visit to University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The King, Patron of Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support, and Queen Camilla visited the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre, meeting patients and staff. This visit is to raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and will highlight some of the innovative research, supported by Cancer Research UK, which is taking place at the hospital. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
FILE - Britain's King Charles III waves as he leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, March 31, 2024. Buckingham Palace says King Charles III will resume his public duties next week following treatment for cancer. The announcement on Friday April 26, 2024, comes almost three months after Charles took a break from public appearances to focus on his treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer. (Hollie Adams/Pool Photo via AP, File)
King Charles III returns to public duties with a trip to a cancer charity
King Charles III returns to public duties with a trip to a cancer charity
