WOODLAND — A former UC Davis student accused of trying to abduct a 12-year-old girl last week pleaded not guilty Wednesday to felony attempted kidnapping and false imprisonment charges.
Sander Ian Findlay, 27, spoke only to confirm his name and request a public defender during the brief Yolo Superior Court hearing. Judge David Reed ordered Findlay back to court Jan. 6 for a preliminary hearing.
Findlay remains in Yolo County Jail custody in lieu of $500,000 bail.
He is suspected of trying to kidnap a 12-year-old girl on Dec. 14 as she walked home from school in the Lake Alhambra Estates neighborhood of Mace Ranch. The girl was able to free herself and run away after the suspect emerged from behind a fence and grabbed her wrist.
Davis police arrested Findlay two days later after serving a search warrant at his downtown Davis apartment.
Findlay also had a scheduled Jan. 13 court hearing for allegedly violating his probation in an unrelated drunken driving case, but that proceeding was vacated in light of the new charges.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene
