Duluth man indicted in alleged kidnapping
A 41-year-old Duluth man is indicted for allegedly kidnapping a 13-year-old girl, shoving her into his trunk, and leaving her gagged and bound to a fallen tree.
The federal indictment filed Wednesday says Todd Richard Franik took the girl across state lines to sexually abuse her.
The complaint says the girl was walking her small dog in Duluth on Aug. 2 when she passed a car with its hood up. Franik allegedly asked for directions to the zoo, then forced her and her dog into the trunk.
He allegedly drove into Wisconsin, then back into Minnesota, where he had sexual contact with her before binding her hands and feet with duct tape. He also allegedly stuffed part of his shirt into her mouth, and taped the dog's mouth shut.
The girl escaped.
A message left Wednesday with Franik's attorney wasn't immediately returned. The complaint says Franik told authorities he planned to hold her for ransom.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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