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Minnesota Kidnapping/Abduction Laws

According to Minn. Stat. § 609.25, a person is guilty of kidnapping if s/he confines or removes any person from one place to another without the person’s consent or, if the person is under the age of 16 years, without the consent of the victim’s parents or other legal custodian, for the following purposes:

  • to hold for ransom or reward for release, or as shield or hostage; or
  • to facilitate commission of any felony or flight thereafter; or
  • to commit great bodily harm or to terrorize the victim or another; or
  • to hold in involuntary servitude.

The crime of kidnapping requires proof of an additional element: intent to confine for the purpose of committing an additional felony.[i]

In Minnesota, if the offender releases the victim in a safe place without great bodily harm, the offender will be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 20 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $35,000, or both.  If the victim is not released in a safe place, or if the victim suffers great bodily harm during the course of the kidnapping, or if the person kidnapped is under the age of 16, the offender will be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 40 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $50,000, or both.

Minnesota Department of Public Safety protects citizens and communities through activities that promote and support prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, education and enforcement.

Minnesota Department of Public Safety


[i] State v. Ward, 1996 Minn. App. LEXIS 628 (Minn. Ct. App. May 28, 1996)


Inside Minnesota Kidnapping/Abduction Laws