Charges: Man kidnapped, beat, raped woman in Lake Elmo; found by officers during welfare check

A man is facing multiple criminal charges after he allegedly held a woman against her will, then assaulted and raped her earlier this week.

Court documents state that the suspect and victim were only found after the victim’s employer reported that she hadn’t shown up for work on Tuesday and thought someone should check on her. Washington County deputies went to her Lake Elmo apartment and saw her screaming for help and trying to open a window before a man pulled her away.

According to court documents, law enforcement forcibly entered the apartment and then brought her to safety while detaining the suspect, identified as 35-year-old David Powers, who also goes by the name David Robekevich.

He’s now charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and domestic assault, which are punishable by up to 30 years, 20 years and three years in jail, respectively.

Powers remained in custody Thursday on a $500,000 unconditional bail and has his next court appearance set for May 16.

“The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing and horrific,” Washington County Attorney Kevin Magnuson said. “Our office is dedicated to taking all domestic violence cases seriously and holding those accused of these crimes accountable to the fullest extent of the law. We work alongside victims throughout the legal process to ensure they receive justice and provide the necessary support for their recovery from these traumatic and life-altering events.”

Charging documents detail the prior day before deputies found the victim and Powers.

The victim told authorities that Powers had been staying with her for a few weeks and they’d gone to a soccer game on Sunday night. However, they got into a fight and, after getting back to the apartment around midnight, she left later that night. When she returned at around 6 a.m. Monday, the victim said Powers “snapped.”

According to a criminal complaint, Powers ripped off the victim’s clothes, threw her onto a bed, strangled her until she lost consciousness, threw her against a wall, and used other force against her. It adds that the victim temporarily lost hearing due to the force of some of his attacks.

After several hours, the victim told authorities she begged to leave but Powers threatened to “end her right now,” and then started assaulting her again before raping her, the complaint states.

He also allegedly had used cocaine and alcohol, and violently damaged the victim’s clothes, couch and other items.

When the victim tried to escape to go to work Tuesday morning, Powers allegedly started assaulting her again and threatened her as well. However, she was able to get to a window and both yell and pound on it multiple times, with one of those times being as officers arrived for the welfare check.

After deputies arrested Powers, the complaint states that he admitted to using Adderall, cocaine and alcohol, and recalled going to the soccer game but denied everything else, saying law enforcement, “had the wrong guy.”

The complaint notes that Powers was previously charged with attempted murder and domestic assault in 2013 but he was only convicted of domestic assault.

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with more information to contact Detective Joel Muellner at 651-430-7818.

If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-799-SAFE.