Stillwater man pleads guilty to kidnapping St. Paul teen, raping her

A Stillwater man pleaded guilty Wednesday to kidnapping an intoxicated teenager from her neighborhood in St. Paul and driving her to his apartment, where he raped her.

Jeremiah Daniel Johnson, 26, found the 18-year-old woman passed out drunk next to a telephone pole late at night in July. He got out of his pickup, near a playground at Edgerton Street and Case Avenue, and carried her to his vehicle with her arms dangling "limp and lifeless," according to a witness.

Police traced his vehicle to the 1500 block of Greeley Avenue in Stillwater, where they found the victim, disoriented and wearing only her underwear, wandering in a hallway. She acknowledged being intoxicated and said the last thing she remembered was watching fireworks.

An examination at a hospital showed evidence of a sexual assault, the criminal complaint said.

Johnson told police he was helping the teen because she had a sprained ankle but that she managed to walk toward the truck with his assistance, according to the complaint. He said she vomited from being drunk. The woman couldn't remember where she lived, Johnson continued, so he drove her to his apartment.

At first, he denied any sexual contact with her. He then said that he had been drinking and that he did have sex with her, but "she is 18, and there is nothing illegal about that," the complaint said.

Johnson's criminal history in Minnesota includes convictions for drunken driving and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

He pleaded guilty in Washington County District Court to kidnapping and third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a helpless victim, both felonies.

Judge Gary Schurrer set sentencing for Nov. 16.

Kevin Giles • 651-925-5037