Hardin County man pleads not guilty to locking son in 6-by-6 pen

ELDORA - An Ackley man has pleaded not guilty to allegations he kept his 8-year-old son in an enclosure under the steps of his basement home.

Alex Craig Shadlow, 30, filed a written not guilty plea to charges of first-degree kidnapping and demanded a speedy trial. A trial date hasn't been set.

Shadlow's fiance, Traci Lynn Tyler, 39, entered a plea of not guilty to the same charges earlier this month. Her trial is tentatively scheduled for September.

Last week, a judge agreed to alter Tyler's bond conditions from $500,000 cash only to $500,000 cash or surety, which matches Shadlow's bond conditions. Both remain in jail pending trial.

Authorities said the couple kept the boy locked in a 6-by-6-foot pen - with a coffee can to use as a toilet - as punishment for hours each day and denied him food between July and September 2017. Shadlow and Tyler were arrested in July following an investigation.