Published October 06, 2008 12:59 pm -
Janesville man arrested in Kentucky
By Dan Nienaber
The Free Press
CALVERT CITY, KY
—
A Janesville man, who already was charged with kidnapping and raping a woman he knew, has been charged again with kidnapping the same woman and attempting to take her to Florida.
Justin Peder Lehrke, 21, was arrested in Calvert City, Ky., just after 6 a.m. Saturday, roughly 725 highway miles away from where he had allegedly kidnapped the woman in Mankato around noon Friday. Police there had been notified Lehrke was in their area and arrested him during a traffic stop. The 20-year-old victim was found, unharmed, in Lehrke’s vehicle.
Mankato police became aware of the alleged kidnapping when the woman’s mother called a Blue Earth County sheriff’s deputy just before 8 p.m. Friday. The mother said she was concerned her daughter had been abducted by Lehrke and was in danger.
Local detectives worked through the night with help from the FBI to use cell-phone transmissions to track Lehrke and the victim. The victim had used her cell phone to send text messages to her mother and sister, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in Blue Earth County District Court.
A dispatcher for the Calvert City Police Department called the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Department at 6 a.m., saying Lehrke and the woman had been located. Lehrke was arrested, jailed and appeared Monday in Marshall County District Court in Kentucky for a felony charge of being a fugitive from justice. He waived extradition and will likely be brought back here this week.
Lehrke has been charged with kidnapping in Blue Earth County for allegedly abducting the woman Friday. It had not been determined yet Monday if more charges would be requested, said Matt DuRose, Mankato police detective commander.
DuRose did not know if weapons were found when Lehrke was arrested. Police in Calvert City would not comment because the police chief was out of the office.
A Blue Earth County judge had issued an order for protection for the woman after Lehrke had allegedly kidnapped her Sept. 1, taken her to a rural area and forced her to get out of his vehicle and strip naked. After letting her back into the vehicle, he allegedly forced her to have sex.
Lehrke was arrested Sept. 4 after deputies tracked his cell -phone signal and found him sleeping in his vehicle in Wildwood County Park. He had called the woman, told her he was going to kill himself and fired two shots with a shotgun found with him. There were two gunshot holes in the vehicle floor.
He was charged with kidnapping, third- and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, false imprisonment and making terroristic threats — all felonies — after that incident. Lehrke’s parents, Peder and Pam Lehrke, posted a $125,000 money order for his release from jail Sept. 10.
Conditions of Lehrke’s release were that he stay away from the victim and her home. He was also told he couldn’t leave Minnesota without notifying authorities.
When the woman was contacted by DuRose Saturday morning, she said Lehrke had talked to her in Mankato and asked her to go to Florida with him.
“She told him she did not want to go and he then had her drink an orange juice mixture from a water bottle,” the new criminal complaint said. “Lehrke later told her that the juice contained morphine.”
The victim told DuRose that Lehrke bound her hands in front of her body to get her to cooperate with him. After packing clothes for her, he untied her hands and took her to his vehicle. She told DuRose she didn’t want to go but was unable to resist.
She said they drove around for about three hours before returning. Lehrke dropped her off near her house before changing his mind about letting her go, she reported. He allegedly forced her back in the car and they left the area again.