An Isanti County man charged with hiding a Forest Lake teen in a tent in rural Pine County pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony charges of kidnapping and second-degree criminal sexual conduct, officials said.
Shawn Bellach, 39, of Dalbo, was arrested in July 2023 after the girl, 14 at the time, was found living in a tent north of Grasston, Minn. She had been missing since May after leaving her house on a bicycle with her cat and $3,000 in babysitting money
Her mother told the Pioneer Press that the girl left a note saying she was going to be “traveling around the United States with her boyfriend.”
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Bellach faces a sentence of four years in prison. His sentencing is slated for Oct. 31.