BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) A convicted drug dealer has denied charges that he kidnapped his 7-year-old son from his ex-wife's Trumbull home last month.

The Connecticut Post reports 43-year-old Rodolfo Revello pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Bridgeport Superior Court to second-degree kidnapping, second-degree larceny, violating a protective order and related charges.

Prosecutors say Revello set off a statewide Amber Alert when he kidnapped the boy from his former Unity Road home on March 12 after going out on a drinking binge.

Police say Revello tried to pull his ex-wife's jaw off and began choking her, only to be stopped by his 18-year-old stepson. Revello then allegedly fled the home with the boy, about $500 in cash and some jewelry.

The child was found safe at a relative's home in New York City.