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Man charged in abduction cases in Cleveland, Elyria appears in court

Posted at 8:29 AM, Dec 08, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-08 09:30:13-05

A Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge entered a not guilty plea Thursday for a man who is charged with kidnapping and rape of a 6-year-old Cleveland girl in a highly publicized abduction case stretching counties.

Justin Christian appeared in court with his hands shackled and escorted by several Cuyahoga County Sheriff Deputies for an arraignment. 

Christian, 29, did not speak as the judge entered the plea on his behalf. The judge also gave Christian a $3 million bond. 

He was arrested at his home in Lorain last week, and was located through the use of familial DNA. 

Watch the court hearing here: 

Police accuse Christian of abducting the girl from her home on 104th street on May 21 and taken to a house where police said she was held hostage in a bedroom for 17 hours and sexually assaulted before being dropped off in a neighborhood near her home. 

The FBI linked Christian to the attempted abduction of a 10-year-old girl in Elyria in February. 

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