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Gideon Arrington forced a Somali woman in Minnesota into his vehicle, handcuffed her, blindfolded her and drove her to an unknown location to rape her

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A judge declared Gideon Arrington “every woman’s worst nightmare.”

Anoka County District Court Judge Dyanna Street on Tuesday sentenced the Brooklyn Park man to 27 years in prison for kidnapping and raping a young woman he encountered on a Fridley street last winter.

Arrington stood silently in a green prison jumpsuit as Street delivered the sentence in a mostly empty courtroom. The duration was a substantial increase from the 12- to 16-year sentence recommended by Minnesota sentencing guidelines.

Arrington, 36, was convicted of one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in May after entering an Alford plea, which allows defendants to maintain their innocence while acknowledging the state likely has enough evidence to compel a jury to convict them.

Arrington made an impassioned plea Tuesday for a lighter sentence, mentioning the children who need him and an ailing mother.

He also adamantly defended his innocence while pointing out inconsistencies in sentencing decisions.

“This is outrageous. It’s not me … I am not a bad man,” he said. “I know people who shot someone and get way less time. You want to tell me it’s better to murder someone than be accused of raping somebody. … That don’t make sense.”

The Brooklyn Park man was arrested in December after he approached a then-32-year-old personal care assistant as she was getting into her car in Fridley.

He told the woman he was a detective who needed to ask some questions, authorities alleged.

Instead, he forced the woman into his own vehicle, handcuffed her, blindfolded her with duct tape and drove her to an unknown location, according to court records. After leaving her inside a cold garage for hours, he took her into a bathroom and raped her twice.

After each attack, he made her sit clothed in a tub of water mixed with bleach to remove any of his DNA from her body, authorities alleged. He then washed her clothes, led the still-blindfolded woman back to his vehicle and drove her to another unknown location.

There, Arrington opened the vehicle door, handed her $2 and told her to walk until she found a bus, authorities alleged. Instead, the frantic woman hailed a cab and took it to Mercy Hospital, where a rape assessment was performed.

Street pointed out the indisputable facts in the case before rendering her decision Tuesday.

Among them, she pointed to Arrington’s DNA that was found on duct tape in the woman’s hair, the smell of bleach medical workers noted on her body and a witness’ account of seeing Arrington force her into his vehicle.

She listed the “particular cruelty” Arrington showed during the attack and his impersonation of a police officer as justifications for the lengthy sentence. She also pointed to vaginal tearing the woman suffered and Arrington’s past criminal history.

He was convicted of first-degree aggravated robbery in 2009 and disorderly conduct in 2004.

Quoting a detective involved in the case, Street called him “the boogie man” for his conduct during the assault.

She added that his continued denial of involvement leaves her concerned for his rehabilitation.

The victim, a Somali woman, was not present in court Tuesday, nor did she offer a victim-impact statement, as is typical in such cases.

Assistant Anoka County Attorney Wade Kish, who prosecuted the case, said the stigma that can sometimes accompany rape victims in certain cultures kept her away.

More than any rape victim he has come across in 15 years, Kish said, the woman was relieved to learn she would never have to speak of the assault again.

Source: http://www.twincities.com/

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