STILLWATER, Minn. — A Cottage Grove man has struck a deal that will put him in prison for up to 15 years in exchange for pleading guilty to kidnapping and aggravated robbery.
The Washington County Attorney's Office says 24-year-old Jeffrey Lo will plead guilty in a high profile case that involved the kidnapping of his children from his ex-girlfriend, and the forceful theft of her minivan. In exchange for admitting his guilt in those three felony counts, Lo will serve a sentence of up to 15 years in a state prison. Formal sentencing is December 16. Lo requested that he begin serving time in a state prison immediately to begin his sentence.
Cottage Grove police responded to a 911 call June 7 reporting a kidnapping. When they arrived on scene officers found Lo's ex "extremely" distraught with a wound on her cheek and blood running down her face. She told them that Lo had violated an order for protection, hiding in her van and then jumping into the front as she backed out of the driveway.
The woman said Lo hit her in the face with a pistol, then drove the van until her screaming made him stop and let her out. He then allegedly sped off, setting off an Amber Alert that led to a manhunt across the Twin Cities. Tips from the public led officers to a wooded area in Cottage Grove where Lo was found laying in the brush clutching his children, who were unharmed.
Lo told officers in a statement that he'd had contact with the mother earlier in the week about seeing his children that weekend, but that she had stopped communicating with him. He said he went to her residence on June 6, but they got into an argument and she drove away. That led to the violent June 7 confrontation.
