A Wyoming man who saved a 14-year-old girl from a sexual abuser has been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for “kidnapping” the girl, while the pedophile received a similar sentence of 10 to 14 years.
In April, Timothy J. Ott, 31, pleaded guilty to kidnapping Zackary Minard, 23, who was found in bed with a teenage girl.
When the mother found her 14-year-old daughter in bed with Minard, she contacted her boyfriend Ott, who rushed to the house with a 35-year-old friend.
Last month, Ott was sentenced to nine to 10 years in prison. District Judge Michael McGrady also ordered the 31-year-old to pay the abuser $1,065 in restitution.
In April, Timothy J. Ott, 31, pleaded guilty to kidnapping an abuser
The 31-year-old confronted the abuser and a violent brawl soon broke out, with the young girl reportedly Cowboy State Daily.
As the friend repeatedly kicked Minard, Ott grabbed the then 22-year-old by the ankles and dragged him outside, Gillette News Record reported.
After getting the assailant to stand up, they ordered him into the trunk of a red 2007 Chevy, which he promptly did.
Minard claimed to authorities that Ott intentionally drove erratically so he would be thrown into hard metal objects while he was in the trunk.
The perpetrator thought he was being taken to a remote location to be murdered.
Eventually the car stopped and Ott hit Minard several times, breaking his nose.
The two men left the then 22-year-old man in the countryside, where the temperature was around 35 degrees.
Before Ott drove away with his friend, he told Minard to walk back to town and think about what he had done.
The next day, the 31-year-old man returned to the crime scene to look for the perpetrator, fearing that something might happen to him.
However, Ott learned that Minard had already been found and was being treated in hospital.
The ‘kidnapper’ spoke to police, confessed to his crime and expressed regret that things had gone ‘too far’.
Just days after his arrest, authorities found Ott’s equipment containing traces of meth.
The judge sentenced Ott to three to five years in prison for the illegal drugs, but he can serve this sentence concurrently with the sentence for the kidnapping.
During his interrogation by authorities, Minard admitted to having sex with the underage girl.
In addition to his prison sentence, the 23-year-old must pay a $3,000 fine plus $500 in restitution to the Wyoming Division of Victim Services.
During his interrogation with authorities, Minard confessed to his crime and admitted to having sex with the underage girl
The judge further ordered that he register as a sex offender.
Around the time he was sentenced, Minard wrote a letter expressing regret for his actions.
“There is not a day that goes by that I would not want to take anything back,” he wrote in the letter.
“I wish I couldn’t have made those bad choices that day. I wish I could have taken away the pain of the family I hurt.”