The case against a Casper man charged with kidnapping and sexually exploiting a girl who lived near him should move forward, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Police found Aaron Ridley, 24, alone when they arrested him at his Casper home on Feb. 18. But during Ridley's preliminary hearing in Natrona County Circuit Court, a police investigator said the girl told authorities she saw another man at the home where the alleged incident took place.

That second man witnessed the elementary school-aged girl trying to get away, Casper police Detective Randy Dolberg testified.

Ridley is charged with kidnapping, indecent liberties, sexual exploitation of a child and possession of a controlled substance. He faces the possibility of more than 47 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

About 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 18, police responded to a Paradise Valley-area neighborhood for a report that a man had made a girl touch his genitals.

The girl later told police she went to drop off mail at a mailbox near her home when she encountered a man looking for his dog. They had a brief conversation, and as she was leaving, he asked her if he could walk with her.

The girl agreed and they walked to a nearby home, said Dolberg, who was the only person to testify at the hearing. As they walked in, the man had his hand on her shoulder.

Inside, the man pulled down his pants and asked the girl to touch his genitals, the girl told police. She screamed and managed to run away.

When police arrived, they found Ridley at the home, according to a police affidavit. Officers said Ridley was behaving strangely and appeared intoxicated.

Officers did not find anyone else inside the home when they searched it.

However, when the girl gave a subsequent interview, she said she saw a second man, with long hair, sitting on a couch, Dolberg said. The long-haired man, she said, went to another room and did not witness the alleged incident.

According to the girl, the man who pulled down his pants grabbed her coat as she tried to leave, but released her after the long-haired man came out of the room and said something to him, Dolberg said.

Police have not been able to determine the identity of the long-haired man.

A neighbor who saw the girl running down the street told investigators he also saw a pickup leave the area before police arrived. However, he could not identify the driver.

Under cross examination by Public Defender Rob Oldham, Dolberg acknowledged the suspect, the long-haired man and the truck's driver could have been three different people.

The neighbor did not see the girl go into Ridley's house, Dolberg said.

Ridley remains held at Natrona County Detention Center in lieu of $75,000 bond. He should be arraigned in Natrona County District Court sometime in the next several weeks.

Reach Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com.