Man accused of kidnapping daughter pleads not guilty

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) The man accused of attacking his girlfriend and kidnapping his daughter on Friday pleaded not guilty to his charges in court Wednesday.

Brian Sellen was served a no contact order with his girlfriend, Brooke, and his 1-year-old daughter, Mila. He cannot be within 100 yards of them or have any third party contact.

Sellen's bail has been raised from $100,000 to $500,000 and was deemed a public safety risk because of his criminal past. According to prosecutors, there have been 35 cases in his past.

Sellen's public defender said his client's side of the story has not been told, claiming he has bite marks on his forearm and scratches on his neck. The defense attorney took pictures of the markings for evidence.

At the time of the alleged kidnapping, Sellen was out on bond for two other felony charges.

On Friday, Sellen allegedly kidnapped his daughter at the Beachview Inn in Santa Cruz and injured her mother at around 5 a.m. He was later traced to a location nearby, where police negotiated with him. At around 4 p.m., the child was given to her grandmother and Sellen was taken into custody.

According to jail records, Sellen has seven charges against him, including: inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, child cruelty, violating a protective order, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon that is not a gun, burglary and robbery.

Sellen's next court date is set for early February.