It was the second Friday of January a year ago when assistant metro editor Pat Gauen ambled into the afternoon news meeting with a story that momentarily silenced the assembled group: Kidnapped Ben Ownby had been found. And so, we thought, had Shawn Hornbeck, the boy who had gone missing more than four years earlier.

Minutes later, that news was confirmed and we were up with a story. Minutes after that, you all started to react to the story with amazement, thanksgiving and questions — oh, the questions! — in a Talk of the Day topic.

That was Jan. 12, 2007….

UPDATE: Devlin has pleaded guilty in Franklin County.

It appears that the case against Michael Devlin, connected to the kidnapping of Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby, is about to end.

Michael Devlin is scheduled to “dispose” of all his state and federal child sex and kidnapping charges, St. Louis County prosecutors said today.

Devlin will appear in court in Franklin County Monday “for disposition of his case,” then go to Washington County Tuesday, St. Louis County Wednesday and on to federal court, prosecutors said in a press release issued this afternoon.

What’s your reaction to the news?

A story today on STLtoday.com notes that Missouri authorities have started a new system to notify the public and the media about missing people. This system joins the current “Amber Alerts” and “SARAA Alerts” that have been issued for missing children in the past.

The “Endangered Person Advisory” was used in the case of Ben Ownby, who disappeared in early January and was discovered Jan. 12 with Shawn Hornbeck.

The story today says:

The effort is lauded by advocacy groups but viewed with a little hesitation by some who fear overwhelming the public.

In January, the Missouri Highway Patrol created an…

The Mitchell Hults is now a worldwide phenomenon.

For those who inexplicably don’t know who he is: Mitchell is the 15-year-old boy who glimpsed the white pickup truck that eventually became a key clue to discovering Ben Ownby and — even more amazingly — Shawn Hornbeck, who had been missing more than four years.

Clearly, the boy is a hero.

He’s been feted at Gov. Matt Blunt’s state of the state address (shown in this picture, uncharacteristically wearing something besides his camouflage jacket). He received a personal phone call from the governor.

He’s received the prize of a white pickup…

Michael J. Devlin, who’s being held in the Franklin County jail for the alleged kidnapping of 13-year-old William “Ben” Ownby, plead “Not Guilty” at his arraignment on Thursday morning.

Franklin County prosecutor Robert Parks said he would take the case to a grand jury next month, negating the need for a preliminary hearing.

Devlin also faces charges in neighboring Washington County for the 2002 kidnapping of Shawn Hornbeck, and St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCullough is looking into possible charges in his county. Both boys were recovered last Friday inside Devlin’s apartment in Kirkwood.

After Thursday’s short court session, Devlin’s…