Duluth Man Pleads Guilty to Taking a 13-Year-Old Girl Across State Lines with Intent to Commit Sexual Abuse

A 41-year-old Duluth man pleaded guilty earlier today in federal court in Duluth to taking a 13-year-old girl across state lines with the intent to sexually abuse her. Appearing before United States District Court Judge Donovan W. Frank, Todd Richard Franik pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Franik was indicted on October 5, 2010.

In his plea agreement, Franik admitted that on August 2, 2010, he abducted the girl and took her from Minnesota to Wisconsin. Franik also admitted he lured the girl near his car using a false story that he needed assistance. In addition, Franik admitted he abducted the girl and took her to a remote place so he could sexually assault her.

According to a law enforcement affidavit filed in this case, Franik abducted the girl in Duluth at about 3:00 p.m. on August 2, 2010. The girl was walking her dog and passed a parked car, its hood up. The man standing near the vehicle, later identified as Franik, asked the girl for directions to the zoo but then grabbed her and the dog and forced them into the trunk. He then drove the car around for 15 to 20 minutes, crossing into Wisconsin and back into Minnesota, before stopping in a wooded area and removing both the child and the dog from the trunk.

The affidavit states that while in the woods, Franik engaged in sexual conduct with the child. Afterwards, he used duct tape to wrap the child's hands and feet and secure her to a fallen tree. He also tore his shirt, stuffed the cloth into her mouth, and then covered her mouth with more duct tape. He reportedly taped the dog's mouth shut too.

Once Franik drove away from the scene, the child was able to twist and chew through the duct tape and make her way to a business in Superior, Wisconsin, from where authorities were called.

While law enforcement officers worked to recover evidence from the woods, including scraps of duct tape and fresh shoe prints, they observed a car matching the description of the vehicle used in the crime. The car repeatedly drove past them on a nearby highway.

Authorities traced the vehicle's license plate number and ultimately located the car in a Duluth parking lot. They placed it under surveillance and, during the early afternoon of August 3, 2010, observed Franik approach it and open the trunk. Officers moved in, spotting duct tape and other evidence of the crime in the open trunk. A subsequent search of Franik's residence yielded shoes with a tread pattern that matched the shoe prints found in the woods. Franik was arrested without incident.

For his crime, Franik faces a potential maximum penalty of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years. Judge Frank will determine his sentence at a future hearing, yet to be scheduled.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Duluth Police Department, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Steinkamp.