May 19, 2013
DOTHAN, AL - Federal prosecutors are asking that kidnapping charges against Charles Dean Partin be dropped.
Partin is accused of kidnapping his 15-year-old stepdaughter, Ailene Lander, and leading police on a multi-state manhunt.
A federal grand jury has indicted Partin on transporting stolen vehicles across state lines. Partin pleaded not guilty to that charge in a hearing in Montgomery Wednesday.
It's now up to local authorities to file kidnapping charges against Partin.
Partin's wife and Lander's mother, Julie Bethke, remains in custody at the Houston County Jail. She's being held on $350,000 for interfering with custody. Police say she helped Partin with the kidnapping.
