Kidnapping Charges: Man Abducted Woman In Washington County

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — Chief Deputy Dan Starry of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and County Attorney Pete Orput Monday announced the apprehension and filing of kidnapping charges against Michael Grant Harker, 34, of Scandia in an alleged April 20 attempted abduction of a woman in Willernie.

On April 20 at about 8:30 p.m., the Washington County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call of a possible attempted abduction near Wildwood Road in Willernie. Upon arriving, it was determined that an adult female was in the area standing near her vehicle when a man in a van drove by her slowly several times, according to authorities.

After doing this, the man allegedly parked his vehicle across the street of the victim and proceeded to walk across the street towards her. Upon reaching her, the man grabbed the victim by the hair and dragged her across the street towards the van, police say.

The victim told police that the man then punched her in the head and attempted to push her into the van
after opening the side door. A witness in the area claimed to hear the victim screaming and drove her vehicle to the area.

The victim was able to get away from the man and ran towards the witness’s vehicle. At this time, the man got into the van and fled the area, according to authorities. The victim was transported to a local hospital for her injuries.

Police say the incident was captured by a local business security camera which corroborated the victim and witness statements. The victim said she was able to identify three numbers on the Minnesota license plate along with a business name on the side of the truck, according to authorities.

Washington County Sheriff’s Office detectives worked with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to use the plate information and characteristics of the van in the video to narrow the search through State databases. After receiving the list, the search narrowed to an individual later identified as Michael Grant Harker, 34, who was residing in Scandia, Minnesota.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office apprehended the suspect at the Scandia residence at approximately
1:00 a.m. on April 22 and located the suspected van. The suspect was transported to the Washington County
Jail.

Harker has been out on parole since late 2016 from an Idaho conviction which was transferred to a probation agent with Washington County Community Corrections, according to a news release. Police say there is no known connection between the victim and Michael Harker.

This case was a collaboration between the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Community Services, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Washington County Attorney’s Office.

Starry stated, “We are pleased that the victim was recovered on site and that no further harm came to her.
Stranger abductions are among the most difficult cases to investigate, as we all know.”

Orput stated, “This is a wonderful example of different law enforcement agencies coming together to swiftly
apprehend a dangerous man.”

Image via Shutterstock