A woman’s screams for help and pleas not to be hurt drew police to a Saint Paul home, where officers found her locked in a basement with visible injuries after she was allegedly choked, dragged by her hair and threatened with death.
Eric Michael Deroos, 47, of Saint Paul, faces five felony charges: kidnapping to facilitate a felony or flight, kidnapping to commit great bodily harm or terrorize, threats of violence with reckless disregard for risk, domestic assault by strangulation and false imprisonment, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court.
According to court documents, police responded to a report of a woman screaming for help on June 15. Witnesses told officers they heard a woman screaming in a driveway and saw a man pushing a woman toward the side of a house. Officers arriving at the scene found a cell phone and clumps of hair near the door, but no one responded when they ordered the occupants to exit.
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Police forced entry after seeing movement inside and getting no response. As officers pried open the screen door, Deroos appeared but refused to let them in, then shut the main door when police broke the screen window. Officers breached the house and learned Deroos had fled out the front. He was found running through nearby yards and was taken into custody after a foot chase and taser deployment.
Inside the house, officers discovered a basement door locked with a deadbolt. When they knocked, a woman’s voice called out that she was locked inside and injured. Police forced the door open and found the victim crying and wearing only a towel. She had fresh red marks and bruises on her body, including her neck, head, hand, breast and abdomen.
The victim was transported to Regions Hospital, where officers noted additional scratches and lumps on her neck and head, as well as large clumps of hair missing.
The victim told police she had been terrified of Deroos for weeks. She said the previous night he threatened, “no one here is going to see the sunrise tomorrow,” slammed a vodka bottle, threatened to kill himself and repeatedly called her vulgar names.
The next morning, Deroos allegedly refused to let her eat or use electronics, told her he would tie her up and torture her and threatened to show her “what punishment is.” Fearing for her life, the victim tried to escape but was caught by Deroos, who choked her until she could not breathe, dragged her back, threw her to the ground and told her, “you’re dead now.”
Court records indicate Deroos is in custody at the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center. He is scheduled to appear in Ramsey County court on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
About This Charge
Minnesota’s kidnapping statute is § 609.25. A conviction carries up to 20 years in prison when the victim is released in a safe place without great bodily harm, and up to 40 years when those mitigating conditions are absent. Related offenses include false imprisonment (§ 609.255) and depriving another of parental rights (§ 609.26).
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Jurisdictional Context
Ramsey County encompasses Saint Paul and is served by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Felony cases are heard in the Second Judicial District at the Ramsey County Courthouse in downtown Saint Paul; the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office operates the Ramsey County Correctional Facility in Maplewood.
