Alleged Captivity: Man Accused of Holding Girlfriend Hostage in University Dormitory for Days



A 19-year-old man stands accused of holding his girlfriend against her will in her university dorm room in Minnesota, subjecting her to a horrifying ordeal involving rape, physical assault, and waterboarding before her eventual escape.

Keanu Labatte was apprehended at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, an institution exclusively for women. He faces multiple felony charges, including three counts of criminal sexual conduct, one for domestic assault by strangulation, and another for threats of violence.

The public defender's office representing Labatte has refrained from commenting on the case.

According to a recent criminal complaint, Labatte arrived on campus last Thursday to visit his girlfriend, who remains unnamed in the complaint. The situation took a dark turn after Labatte discovered texts, images, and social media content that enraged him. 

He confiscated her phone, keeping her isolated for several days.

During this harrowing period, the complaint alleges that Labatte subjected her to strangulation, threats with a knife, forced her to lie in a bathtub with a washcloth over her face while pouring water on her, and sexually assaulted her in her dorm room from Thursday through Saturday.

On Sunday morning, she managed to persuade him to allow her to leave for food from the cafeteria. It was then that she sought help from the university's security office, disclosing the abuse she had endured. 

The security office promptly contacted the police, who observed visible injuries, including black, blue, and red marks on her neck, as detailed in the complaint.

The police located Labatte in the dorm room and arrested him on probable grounds of domestic assault and sexual assault.

As of the time of this report, Labatte remained in custody.
 
In another news, troops from Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) have apprehended the alleged killer of Mrs. Dorathy Jonathan, a housewife who tragically lost her life while bravely resisting a sexual assault in Southern Kaduna. See detailed story here

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