CONNECTICUT Ohio woman pleads guilty in kidnapping

MILFORD, Conn. (AP) -- A southern Ohio woman has pleaded guilty to helping kidnap a 6-year-old girl outside an elementary school in May, triggering an Amber Alert.
Sommer Short pleaded guilty under the Alford doctrine Friday to one count of risk of injury to a minor. That means she disputes the charges but agrees the state has enough evidence to convict her.
Short, of Proctorville, across the Ohio River from Huntington, W.Va., was accused of helping her friend, Nicole Somers of Melbourne, Fla., kidnap Brittany Scott outside Forest Elementary School.
Somers is the girl's aunt. Defense lawyers said the women planned to take her to Florida, where a judge had granted custody to the child's mother. A police officer spotted them on the side of Interstate 95 when their car broke down before they made it out of Connecticut.
A New Haven judge had granted custody to her father, Matthew Scott.
Short faces up to eight years in prison, which could be suspended after she serves two-and-a-half years. She is cooperating with prosecutors.
Short's attorney, Vito Castignoli, said she thought the Florida order granting custody to the girl's mother was legitimate.
"She made errors in judgment, but there was no criminal intent," he said. "There was an issue about the custody."
Assistant State's Attorney Kevin Lawlor said the Scott family is satisfied with the plea agreement.
Short has been held on $250,000 bond since the kidnapping. Somers was released in July after posting bond.