Mankato Man Sentenced After Kidnapping Charges

A southern Minnesota man accused of kidnapping a woman and leading law enforcement on a chase is sent to prison.

Peter John Lohre, 25 of Mankato, was arrested on November 3, 2021, and charged with two counts of kidnapping, second-degree drug possession, third-degree drug possession, second-degree assault, possession of a firearm as a felon, possession of a firearm after being convicted of a crime of violence, receiving stolen property, and fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.

The Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force and the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office says Lohre was arrested after a five-mile chase where Lohre forced a 19-year-old female driver to flee from law enforcement.  Court documents state Lohre was a passenger in the vehicle and threatened the female driver with a gun, telling her to drive away from a traffic stop or he would shoot her.

Court documents state a tire deflation device and a deputy executing a “pursuit termination maneuver” near the intersection of Highway 14 and County Road 55 eventually stopped the vehicle.  Investigators say they found a loaded 9-millimeter handgun and suspected methamphetamine in the area of the front passenger seat. Investigators say the handgun was reported stolen in another state.

Lohre pleaded guilty to second-degree drug possession and the other charges were dismissed.  He’s been sentenced to nine years and nine months in state prison.