Two Plead Not Guilty in Lincoln County Staged Kidnapping

Two people have pleaded not guilty to charges in an eastern Missouri boy's staged kidnapping.  

Authorities say the 6-year-old's mother, grandmother and aunt planned the ruse to scare him, because they believed he was too nice to people. The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office says the family wanted to teach him about possible danger from strangers.

The sheriff's office says the women enlisted help from the aunt's co-worker in last week's fake kidnapping.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports all four made their first court appearance Tuesday. The co-worker and grandmother pleaded not guilty. Both are charged with felony kidnapping, felonious restraint, and abuse or neglect of a child.