Man charged with kidnapping, sexually assaulting 7-year-old Zimmerman girl

Joseph Andrew Bragg, 28, has been charged in connection with the abduction and sexual assault of a 7-year-old girl. He faces one count of kidnapping and one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

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The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office was called to a home in Zimmerman on a report of a missing girl. She was usually dropped off by her school bus around 3:40 p.m., but hadn’t returned home as of 6:30 p.m. According to a criminal complaint, the girl’s mother reached out to the girl’s father and grandmother, who also didn’t have her.

Neighbors confirmed to police that the girl had gotten off her bus and surveillance footage showed her walking toward her home but then turning and walking toward her bus stop, out of view of the camera.

The girl’s mother told investigators of a strange online interaction she had with Bragg in December, court documents state. Bragg had added her on Facebook, and she added him back, thinking he was the relative of one of her friends. She later realized that she didn’t know Bragg and that he had just seen her profile and wanted to message her.

She said that Bragg asked her personal questions about herself, including whether she had kids. He said that he wanted children of his own, wasn’t discouraged to learn a woman already had children, and that he works in child care. He also asked the woman if she knew of anyone looking for child care services. According to court documents, the victim’s mother said she ultimately blocked him.

The victim’s father also didn’t know Bragg.

Investigators learned that Bragg was driving a rental vehicle and was headed toward Iowa. An officer saw the truck at a truck stop in Albert Lea and stopped the vehicle. Bragg was determined to be the driver of the truck and said he was headed out of the state. The truck was packed with items, but the 7-year-old girl was found in the backseat.

Court documents state that Bragg used a Lyft to bring the victim to a hotel in Plymouth. He was seen entering the hotel with a large red suitcase, which appeared difficult for him to handle. 30 minutes later, he was seen leaving the hotel with the suitcase.

Location data on the rental vehicle showed that it was near the victim’s home in Zimmerman around the time of the abduction. The vehicle was in the same spot around the same time the previous day, according to court documents.

The victim told investigators that Bragg sexually assaulted her.
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