Four people were arrested on February 8, 2015 after allegedly participating in the kidnapping of a Grand Marais woman and her 5-year-old child. Two men, Jason Lowry, 44, of Lakeville, Minnesota and Chris Paripovich, 49, of Wayzata, Minnesota appeared before Judge Michael Cuzzo last week. Two more individuals are scheduled to appear in coming weeks for their alleged involvement in the incident.
Lowry was charged with two counts of kidnapping for reward, ransom or shield, two counts of felony imprisonment and one count each of first-degree burglary and making terroristic threats. Paripovich was charged with kidnapping and fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance.
Court appearances are pending for Terrie Tornio, 43, of Forest Lake, Minnesota and Michael Chilstrom, 39, of Coon Rapids, Minnesota. They also face kidnapping and controlled substance charges, and are expected to appear in court in the next two months.
According to the criminal complaints, two Cook County Sheriff ’s Office deputies were responding to an emergency call at a Grand Marais residence. On the way to that residence, they met the male party that lives there. The man jumped out of his vehicle and told the sheriff deputies that they had to hurry to his house because his girlfriend and child were “being held captive by some guy.”
The man said he owed money to some people and that he had received a phone call from one of them— from his residence. He said he was instructed to meet a woman and man in a blue Impala at the bank to pay what he owed before his girlfriend and child would be released. The man told deputies that he was told he had better pay, or duct tape and zip ties would be used and it “could be a bloody mess.”
The deputies, along with Minnesota state troopers, went to the house and found the woman and child inside with defendant Lowry. According to the criminal complaint, Lowry told deputies that he was “helping a friend of a friend” collect money owed to a person later alleged to be Tornio. Lowry told deputies that he had called the victim to meet his companions at the bank. Lowry stated that he believed this was the “civil” way to handle the situation.
According to the complaint, the female victim said that earlier that day, she saw two men walk up her driveway and then heard a loud knock on the door. When she started to open the door, the men pushed their way into the house and one stated, “You know why we are here.”
She said both men were dressed all in black and wore ski masks. One of the men, later identified as Lowry, took the woman’s phone and used it to call the male victim. Lowry allegedly backed the woman into a corner of the kitchen and told her that they needed to get paid while the other male stood by the doorway. The woman said after about 15 minutes, the second man left and Lowry paced around the house, still wearing the face mask. The woman said her child was terrified and crying.
At about 4 p.m., a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer stopped a blue Impala traveling west on Highway 61 at mile marker 101. Sheriff deputies responded to the vehicle stop to find Chilstrom, Paripovich and Tornio in the car.
Paripovich was driving and when he exited the vehicle, officers found a pipe of the type known to be used for smoking methamphetamine withMark what appeared to be methamphetamine residue. He was arrested for possession of a controlled substance.
Deputies noted that Chilstrom was dressed all in black. According to the criminal complaint, he told one of the deputies that he was “just along for the ride.” Drug paraphernalia and a baggie with drug residue was found in his pocket.
Tornio told deputies that the group was “kind of on vacation.” She said they had dropped off a friend at another friend’s house because he needed to collect some money for his business. Tornio gave permission for a search of her purse and deputies found two small zip-lock baggies with a white crystal substance residue consistent with meth in a makeup bag.
A search of the vehicle found another meth pipe with suspected meth residue in the back pocket of a passenger seat, a baggie with white crystal residue, a baggie containing approximately .5 grams of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine and a digital scale as well as a black face mask.
Tornio was released on bail, set at $75,000. She is facing charges of kidnapping and fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance charges. Her initial appearance is scheduled for March 17 in Grand Marais.
Chilstrom was charged with two counts of kidnapping, two counts of false imprisonment, one count of first-degree burglary and one count of fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance. His initial appearance is scheduled for April 14.
Chilstrom, Lowry and Paripovich are currently all being held at the Aitkin County Jail. Paripovich will appear in court again on March 9 and Lowry will next appear in court on March 23.
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