A New Hampton man who was convicted in the abduction of a woman last year has been sentenced to life in prison. Forty-three-year-old Rick Brandes was convicted March 6th of first-degree kidnapping, and was sentenced Wednesday in Chickasaw County District Court to the life term.
The incident happened last May when Brandes and another man met a 21-year-old woman at a New Hampton tavern, and invited her back to his apartment for a party. He allegedly sexually assaulted the woman several times at knifepoint.
The victim was held for four hours before she was able to get away. The other defendant in the case, 23-year-old Travis Alve of New Hampton, pleaded guilty in February to four counts of sexual abuse as part of a plea agreement. Alve was sentenced to 55 years in prison.