Burnsville Man Pleads Guilty To Violent Kidnapping

BURNSVILLE, MN — Federal authorities Thursday announced the guilty plea of Dontay Lavarice Reese, 37, of Burnsville for kidnapping. According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, in the early morning hours of Aug. 6, 2017, Reese met the victim in downtown Minneapolis.

Reese offered her a ride home; however, instead of driving her home, he drove in the wrong direction into Wisconsin, investigators said.

Reese told her he was going to take her "several states away" and use her to make money as a prostitute, according to authorities.

The victim attempted to escape multiple times - each time she was captured and violently restrained by Reese, according to investigators. A family witnessed one of the escape attempts and called 911, police said.

After the 911 call, the Wisconsin State Patrol found the victim running out of a wooded area, with her wrists bound together, and screaming for help. Reese came out of the same wooded area shortly after, fully naked and attempted to cross the interstate on foot. He was taken into custody.

"The victim endured a terrifying experience, and has shown incredible courage throughout this process. Because of her courage a violent offender is no longer in our community," United States attorney Erica MacDonald said in a statement.

"Thoughts today are with the victim in this case who courageously helped put her assailant in prison for many years,” said Jill Sanborn, Special Agent in Charge of the Minneapolis Division of the FBI. “Thanks to the victim and diligent work of law enforcement from Minnesota and Wisconsin working with the FBI, justice was served and Mr. Reese was held accountable for his actions."

Sentencing has been scheduled for June 4.

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