White Earth man sentenced to 50 years in kidnapping case

PIERRE, S.D. (Valley News Live) - A White Earth, Minnesota man was sentenced to 50 years in prison Thursday, after pleading guilty to kidnapping-related charges.

Officials say Ryan Degroat was arrested in March 2022 for entering a home in Hecla, South Dakota, where he assaulted and forced a person to drive them both out of town.

The two were found later by law enforcement at a rest area in North Dakota.

A Brown County grand jury indicted Degroat that same month, and he later pled guilty to the kidnapping charge.

“This sentence brings some resolution to the victim and their family who have dealt with the unthinkable,’” South Dakota Attorney General Jackley said. “I want to specifically recognize the cooperative effort between law enforcement agencies in two states and prosecutors in bringing justice in this difficult case.”

Agencies involved in the investigation were the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Brown County Sheriff’s Office, North Dakota Highway Patrol and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Prosecution of the case was handled by the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office and the Brown County State’s Attorney’s Office.

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