UNION, Mo., Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Pizza manager Michael Devlin has admitted he kidnapped a 13-year-old Missouri boy, a prosecutor in Union, Mo., said Thursday.
Robert Parks told a news conference Devlin confessed to the abduction of Ben Ownby after he was taken into custody. However, Devlin, 41, pleaded not guilty in a closed-circuit TV court appearance.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years to life in prison.
Ben, kidnapped Jan. 8 as he got off a school bus near his home in Union, was found Friday with another teen, Shawn Hornbeck, who had been missing for more than four years.
Devlin, held in lieu of $1 million bond, is being kept in isolation for his own safety, authorities said. He also has been charged in the Hornbeck kidnapping and is under investigation in two other teen abductions.
Ben's parents said their son was recovering from the ordeal but has not discussed what happened.
"Ben's doing fine," his mother, Doris Ownby, said.
Horbeck and his parents appeared on Thursday's "Oprah" show.
