The two California men accused of taking a 12-year-old Evergreen girl to Nevada without parental permission pleaded not guilty Thursday to custodial interference.
Edgard Le, 28, of Escondido, and Dennis Nelson, 37, of San Diego, appeared in Flathead County District Court for their respective arraignments on March 15 in front of District Judge David Ortley.
Le pleaded not guilty to custodial interference and Nelson entered the same plea to accountability to custodial interference.
Prosecutors filed felony charges against the men after they were found with the 12-year-old girl south of Las Vegas on Feb. 15. She had gone missing on Feb. 13, prompting authorities to issue an Amber Alert.
Investigators believed she was with Le after it was discovered the two had had an online relationship. According to court documents, Le and the girl would say they loved each other and Le’s friends made references online to a “road trip” from California to Montana.
One of the girl’s friends told investigators that she and Le had been in an online relationship for about a month and they had mentioned getting married, according to court documents.
The girl’s mother told authorities that her daughter did not have permission to go with the men. Prosecutors say Nelson rented the car and was driving when authorities found the girl with the men.
Both men remain in custody at the Flathead County Detention Center. If convicted, Le faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. He is being held on $250,000 bond.
Nelson’s charge also carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. His bond is set at $150,000.