Man Broke Into Mankato Home, Beat and Trapped Sleeping Man

A Minneapolis man repeatedly struck another man, threatened to kill him and trapped him inside a Mankato residence before the victim escaped through neighbors’ yards wearing only socks, according to charges.

Vontaine Lafayette Garner, 33, faces charges of kidnapping to commit great bodily harm or terrorize, threats of violence with reckless disregard for risk and fifth-degree assault, according to a complaint filed Tuesday, August 18, in Blue Earth County District Court.

According to the complaint, officers with the Mankato Department of Public Safety responded to a residence in Mankato on Tuesday, August 18, after dispatch received a report of an ongoing domestic assault. Officers met the victim at a nearby gas station, where he reported that he had been sleeping at the residence when he awoke to Garner striking him in the face with his elbow.

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The victim told police he tried to get off the bed but Garner kept hitting him. As he attempted to leave, he tripped over a dog and Garner struck him again. When he tried to exit the residence, Garner physically prevented him from leaving, at one point trapping him in a bathroom and continuing to hit him.

During the assault, Garner repeatedly told the victim, “I’m going to f****** kill you.” The victim stated he feared for his life.

A witness who had also been sleeping in the residence told officers she was awoken by “someone” beating up her friend but was otherwise uncooperative, according to court records. The victim reported that Garner had kicked out an air conditioner in a window to enter the residence.

The victim eventually managed to escape and ran through neighbors’ yards wearing only his socks. Officers observed the victim had wet socks and no personal belongings. They also noted his ears were bleeding, which the victim explained was because his earrings had been ripped out. The victim also reported significant pain in his right hand.

Garner’s whereabouts were unknown at the time of filing, and the State requested a warrant for his arrest.

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. The complaint charges Garner under the 40-year tier, alleging the victim was not released in a safe place. Related offenses include false imprisonment (§ 609.255) and depriving another of parental rights (§ 609.26).