Twin Cities Man Sentenced for Kidnapping Teen Girl

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A 22-year-old Shoreview man has received a five-year prison sentence after he was convicted of kidnapping a 15-year-old girl in a plan to force her to marry him.

The Star Tribune reports Kong Xiong was sentenced last week and could be released from prison in July 2018 with credit for time served. He was convicted of sexual assault and kidnapping.

Authorities say Xiong dragged the girl into his car in St. Paul on March 28 and drove off as he tried to force her into marriage. Charges against Xiong claim his parents wanted the two to get married in the Hmong tradition, but the girl's parents were opposed.

The girl told police that she and Xiong began dating in January, and they had sex when she was 14.