Minn. man sentenced for strangling, sexually assaulting woman he picked up from side of road

RED LAKE, Minn. (TCD) -- A 30-year-old man was recently sentenced to nearly two decades in prison for choking and sexually assaulting a woman he picked up from the side of the road.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, on Nov. 7, 2020, Paul Sayers picked up the victim, who was walking on the side of the road, and offered to drive her to her destination in his truck. However, instead of driving to her destination, Sayers brought the woman to a camper near the hemp shop where he worked, the Attorney’s Office said.

Sayers tried to make sexual advances toward the woman, but she resisted, and he hit and strangled her until she passed out, according to the Attorney’s Office. The victim had to walk 20 miles to get back into town after Sayers raped her.

The Attorney’s Office said Sayers entered a plea deal on April 20 and admitted to not only sexually assaulting the first woman but engaging in unlawful sexual contact with another person as well.

On Wednesday, Aug. 31, the Attorney’s Office announced that Sayers was sentenced to 239 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for aggravated sexual assault.

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• Red Lake Man Sentenced to 239 Months in Prison for Rape - U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota