30-year term for S. Minnesota man who kidnapped, raped woman

A 38-year-old southern Minnesota man has been sentenced to a maximum 30-year term for the kidnapping and rape of a woman he choked until she nearly died.

Aaron M. Hubert, of Montgomery, was sentenced last week in Rice County District Court after he was convicted in a trial last spring of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, domestic assault and kidnapping in connection with the February 2017 attack of a woman he was having a relationship with at the time.

With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Hubert will serve the first 18 years in prison and the balance on supervised release.

His sentence also requires that he register as a predatory offender, given that he has an early sexual assault conviction his record from 2007 in Rice County that led to a 12-year sentence. He also will be on parole for the rest of his life.

"The statutory maximum of 30 years is an appropriate sentence for Mr. Hubert and holds him accountable for his conduct," County Attorney John Fossum said in a statement. "Public safety requires a lengthy incarceration for dangerous offenders like Mr. Hubert."

According to the charges:

Hubert and the woman were arguing while in a vehicle in Le Sueur County. He would not let her leave the vehicle and began slapping her while pointing a knife at her.

He drove to Rice County, pulled over, and sexually assaulted and choked until she lost consciousness at least once.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482