A man armed with a handgun forced his way into his ex-girlfriend’s house in Cottage Grove on Saturday night, threatened to kill her, assaulted her and then kidnapped their infant son, police said.
Police rescued the 11-month-old boy when they arrested the man on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis and took the baby to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, where he was held overnight for “observation to ensure discovered injuries were not life-threatening,” according to a news release from the Cottage Grove Department of Public Safety.
The boy’s father, Charles E. Hollins, 41, of St. Cloud, has been charged in Washington County District Court with kidnapping, first-degree burglary and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. He was being held Monday in the Washington County Jail in Stillwater.
The assault and kidnapping happened around 9:20 p.m. Saturday in the 6500 block of Jody Avenue South, according to police reports. That’s when a woman called 911 to report that she was chatting with a friend on the FaceTime video app when she witnessed Hollins force his way into her friend’s house and assault her.
Officers arrived in the area and found the victim near the incident location. “She was visibly injured from the assault and advised officers that Hollins was armed with a handgun still in the home with their son,” the news release states. “During the assault, Hollins had pointed the gun at the victim and threatened to kill her.”
The woman was evaluated at the scene by Cottage Grove Fire Department paramedics and declined medical attention at a hospital.
“Hollins fled the scene with the 11-month-old child, with whom he never had any parental relationship,” police said. “Soon after Hollins fled the scene, officers contacted him by phone, and Hollins admitted he had the child. He stated he was returning to the scene with the child, which he never did.”
Cottage Grove officers found Hollins’ vehicle at a residence on the 2800 block of Emerson Avenue South in Minneapolis around 1:30 p.m. Sunday. He was taken into custody and the child was rescued, police said.
A warrant was executed at the residence in Minneapolis, and a firearm was recovered.