Duluth Man Charged with Kidnapping
Posted at: 08/04/2010 3:52 PM | Updated at: 08/04/2010 4:53 PM
41-year-old Todd Richard Franik of Duluth has been charged by criminal complaint in federal court in Minnesota for allegedly kidnapping a 13-year-old girl and taking her across state lines.
A news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office says a complaint was filed this afternoon, Franik was charged with one count of kidnapping. He was scheduled to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey J. Keyes late this afternoon.
According to a law enforcement affidavit, Franik abducted the girl in Duluth at about 3 p.m. Monday afternoon. The girl was walking her dog when she passed by a parked car with its hood up. The news release says a man standing near the vehicle, later identified as Franik, asked the girl for directions to the zoo but then allegedly grabbed her and the dog and forced them into the trunk of the car.
Franik allegedly drove the car around for 15 to 20 minutes, crossing into Wisconsin and back into Minnesota, before stopping in a wooded area and removing both the girl and the dog from the trunk.
The affidavit states that while in the woods, Franik engaged in sexual conduct with the girl. He allegedly used duct tape to wrap her hands and feet and secure her to a fallen tree. He also allegedly tore his shirt, stuffed the cloth into her mouth, and then covered her mouth with more duct tape. The release says he also 'supposedly' taped the dog's mouth shut.
Once Franik drove away from the scene, the girl was able to twist and chew her way through the duct tape. She then made her way to the Wabegon Supper Club in Superior, Wisconsin, where someone called authorities.
According to law enforcement, a car matching the vehicle description used in the alleged crime, drove past the investigators several times while they worked to recover evidence from the woods. Police were able to trace the vehicle's license plate number and say that scraps of duct tape and fresh shoe prints were found in the woods.
Tuesday afternoon police were led to a Duluth parking lot where they found the car and placed it under surveillance.
According to the news release, Franik approached the vehicle and opened the trunk and that officers closed in and saw duct tape and other evidence of the crime in the open trunk. Officials say a search of Franik's residence found shoes that matched shoe prints found in the woods. Franik was arrested without incident.
If convicted, Franik faces a potential maximum penalty of life in prison. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by the Duluth Police Department, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David P. Steinkamp.
