Man Contests Charge Of Kidnapping Daughter Friday

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Brian Anthony Sellen, accused of kidnapping his 1-year-old daughter after stabbing her mother Friday, pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported.

Sellen, 40, of Hollister, faces 22 charges in all, according to his jail booking sheet. He's being charged with felonies related to domestic violence, child cruelty, violating a protective order, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, robbery, evading police, vandalism and more. He's also facing misdemeanors including violating a domestic violence protective order, driving on a suspended license, possessing burglary tools and possessing drug paraphernalia.

The Santa Cruz Police Department told reporters last week that Sellen did not have parental rights and he was estranged from his daughter's mother.

The charges stem from a 5 a.m. domestic violence call from a Santa Cruz hotel, Chief Andy Mills said last week.

Read: Man Accused Of Kidnapping Daughter Arrested, Baby Safe

Police found the mother of his child injured and took her to a Salinas hospital. They searched yard by yard that morning looking for Sellen and his daughter, and a K-9 eventually led them to a nearby apartment in an area where Sellen was known to have an acquaintance, police said.

Santa Cruz County District Judge Rebecca Connolly agreed to raise Sellen's bail to $500,000 after prosecutors made the request, noting a lengthy criminal history, the Sentinel reported. Connolly also banned him from contacting his daughter and her mother.

His bail was raised last week to $100,000 from $30,000 after he called his daughter's mother from jail, the Sentinel reported.

Sellen's defense attorney took issue with the kidnapping charge, saying that Sellen had bite and scratch marks on his body that morning, the Sentinel reported. His attorney also told the paper that both parents had a right to see the child.

Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.