A Burnsville man who kidnapped a woman in downtown Minneapolis so he could force her into sex trafficking out of state will spend decades in prison.
A judge sentenced Dontay Lavarice Reese to 27 years in prison during a Tuesday hearing in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.
Reese, 37, was in downtown Minneapolis in the early hours of Aug. 6, 2017, when he encountered the woman and offered her a ride home.
Instead of taking her to her residence, Reese went to Wisconsin, telling the woman they were heading “several states” away and that he planned to use her for money by making her work as a prostitute.
The woman tried to escape several times, but each time Reese caught her and “violently restrained” her again, prosecutors said.
A family witnessed one of her attempted escapes and called 911.
Wisconsin State Patrol troopers found her running out of a wooded area screaming for help. Her wrists were bound.
Reese soon was seen running naked out of the same area, prosecutors said.
He was arrested and taken into custody.
Reese pleaded guilty in the case last February.
During his sentencing hearing Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz characterized Reese as a cruel and selfish person with one of the worst records he’s seen among federal detainees at the Sherburne County jail, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
In 2004, he was convicted of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involved with instilling fear of great bodily. His criminal history also includes burglary, domestic assault and violating no-contact orders.
A second federal indictment that was unsealed last week accuses Reese of assaulting a federal officer while in custody on his kidnapping charge.
The outcome of that case is still pending.
U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald commended the kidnapping victim’s bravery in helping bring about justice.
“The strength and resilience of this victim has helped ensure the defendant is held accountable for his heinous crimes, and that our community is safe from a violent offender with a long criminal record,” MacDonald said in a statement released by her office Tuesday. “We are grateful for her courage. We are also thankful to the family who witnessed the defendant’s brutality and called the police.”