A 42-year-old man is charged with kidnapping and second-degree assault after he allegedly held a woman against her will for hours, beat her repeatedly and threatened to kill her at a Lino Lakes residence earlier this month.
Michael Lee Wangert, of Lino Lakes, was charged last week with kidnapping to commit great bodily harm or terrorize, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of threats of violence.
According to the criminal complaint, officers responded to a 911 call just after 6 p.m. Monday, April 13, in Lino Lakes for a report of a domestic altercation. A neighbor reported that a woman had fled the residence and was hysterically crying, saying Wangert had threatened to kill her. The neighbor told police the woman’s hand appeared to be broken.
Officers found the woman hysterical, screaming and crying. She had red marks on her arms, and her right hand was red and very swollen.
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The woman told police she had arrived at the residence at about 9 a.m. because Wangert had a part to fix her vehicle. Because Wangert has a domestic abuse no contact order prohibiting him from having contact with her, he told her to park in the garage so no one would see her car.
The encounter was initially cordial, but about 20 minutes after she arrived his demeanor changed. He accused her of cheating on him and began yelling and screaming. He then began physically assaulting her in the bedroom, biting, scratching, hitting and headbutting her.
The woman fled to the bathroom and curled into a ball between the toilet and the bathtub to protect herself. Wangert continued to berate her, screaming threats including that she was “going to die today.” He repeated the threat to kill her numerous times throughout the day, the complaint says.
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At one point Wangert returned with a kitchen knife and placed it on top of the toilet. He told her it was for her protection and said to use it to stab him if he attacked her because he would not stop once he started. He then returned and demanded the knife back. When she held onto it, he beat the knife out of her hand using the base of his hands and headbutted her until she let go.
Throughout the day Wangert kicked her, hit her and threatened her. He had previously taken her cell phone. When her son called, Wangert answered and told her to lie. He then held the knife, pointed it at her and told her he would slit her throat if police were called. After the call he smashed her phone.
Just before the 911 call, Wangert told the woman he was going to take her for a long drive and that she would watch him “f*** some b****es,” saying he would tape her eyes open to make sure she watched. He told her she was “not going to survive this” and said they were going on the run. When they walked to a car parked in the driveway, the woman fled to a neighbor’s home.
Wangert left the area before police arrived. A KOPS alert was issued, but he had not been apprehended as of the complaint filing date.
