Joseph Andrew Bragg, 28, Maple Grove, MN
ELK RIVER, Minn. (KFGO) – A man accused of abducting a 7-year-old girl in Zimmerman in central Minnesota has been charged.
Joseph Bragg, 28, of International Falls, who also has an address in Maple Grove, is charged with one count of kidnapping and one count of criminal sexual conduct according to the charges filed in Sherburne County.
Prosecutors say Bragg took the girl after she got off her school bus Wednesday afternoon. Bragg and the girl were found in Albert Lea around 1 a.m. Thursday.
The child’s mother called police after discovering that she was not with her father or her grandmother. A neighbor’s doorbell footage showed the girl walking home from the bus stop, and then turning back, out of view.
Law enforcement identified Bragg as a suspect, and determined he had access to a rental vehicle. Using cell phone location data, investigators learned that he was traveling toward Iowa. A statewide AMBER Alert was then issued.
The complaint says an Albert Lea officer saw a white pickup truck at a gas station that matched the vehicle information. He conducted a traffic stop and found the girl in the back seat. Bragg had taken the girl to a hotel in Plymouth, Minnesota according to the complaint. The girl told police that she was in the hotel room with Bragg and he had sexually assaulted her.
The girl’s mother told police she had an “unusual online interaction” in December involving an individual with a Facebook profile username of ‘Joseph Bragg,’ who added her on Facebook in early December.
The individual said they “had just seen her profile and wanted to communicate with her.” The individual asked the mother questions about herself, including whether she had children. The individual indicated he wanted children of his own, was not discouraged to learn a woman already had children, and indicated a desire to engage in activities with children.
“The individual explained he works in child care and asked if the mother knew anyone in the Zimmerman-Princeton area looking for services.”
Hundreds of public safety personnel from various departments and volunteers took part in the search for the girl.
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