WRENSHALL, Minn. — A Duluth-area man allegedly carved the word “snitch” into a 17-year-old hostage’s chest and circulated a Snapchat photo of the victim tied to a chair with a bag over his head.
Scott Kendrick Lindgren, 21, was charged Thursday with seven felonies in the alleged kidnapping and assault Monday at his home in Silver Brook Township, near Wrenshall.
The teen, who is from Duluth, also suffered serious head injuries and burns to his neck, according to a criminal complaint.
Authorities said the victim was lured to Lindgren’s residence around midnight Sunday but did not specify what led to the incident. Only Lindgren was arrested, but Carlton County Sheriff Kelly Lake said more arrests could follow.
“We believe that other people may have been witness to this incident and may have participated in the assault,” she said in a statement.
According to the criminal complaint:
Deputies were called to the home at 804 County Road 18 around 4:30 p.m. Monday. A caller indicated that a juvenile was being held hostage and “in really bad shape, tied to a chair and getting his head stomped on.”
Deputies arrived in time to find Lindgren and his girlfriend in a car, apparently trying to drive away. The victim was in the back seat, “in horrible shape, injured and needing medical attention.”
In an interview from his hospital room, the victim told deputies he had been tied up and pistol whipped in the daylong assault by Lindgren and two others.
The teen required immediate medical attention for a head and brain injury, deputies said.
He also identified Lindgren as the person who carved “snitch” into his chest with a sharp object.
Officers interviewed other people, who reported receiving a Snapchat image of the teenager tied up to a chair, his head covered with a bag and blood visible. Messages sent through the Snapchat application are visible only for a short time.
Because authorities did not identify the victim, his condition was unavailable Thursday.
Lindgren was arraigned in Carlton County District Court on two counts of kidnapping, three counts of assault, threats of violence and false imprisonment.
Judge Robert Macaulay set his conditional bail at $25,000.
Lindgren, who has petty misdemeanor convictions on his record, is due back in court on Monday.