A man who admitted to kidnapping a woman at gunpoint could be released from prison much earlier than expected after what the victim’s family says were critical missteps in the case — including a dropped sexual assault charge and a prosecutorial error that will reduce his prison time.
Gregory Alan Trepanier, 57, was arrested in March 2024 and charged with kidnapping and attempted first-degree criminal sexual conduct after DNA linked him to a 2014 incident.
Trepanier ultimately pleaded guilty to kidnapping as part of a plea agreement in which prosecutors with the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office agreed to dismiss the attempted first-degree criminal sexual conduct charge.
Under that plea agreement, authorities also declined to pursue charges in two additional 2014 incidents in which Trepanier had been investigated. In those cases, women reported being threatened with a gun and told they would be sexually assaulted in North St. Paul and Maplewood, the Pioneer Press reported.
The family of the 2014 kidnapping victim says the decision to drop the sexual assault charge — combined with what they described as a charging error — will result in Trepanier serving about two years instead of what they believe should have been a significantly longer sentence.
“We are devastated,” said Francene Myhra, the victim’s mother. “He is a repeat offender and is getting no help for his sexual violence. This leaves the public at great risk.”
2014 kidnapping at gunpoint (warning: graphic)
According to the criminal complaint:
The 2014 attack began in the early morning hours outside a Maplewood bar, where the victim, then 25, had gone out with friends.
As she got into her car to leave, a masked man — later identified as Trepanier — entered the passenger side, pointed a gun at her, and ordered her to drive to another location, telling her he intended to sexually assault her.
The victim was forced to drive to a nearby parking lot, where Trepanier ordered her to remove her clothing. He then exposed himself and attempted to sexually assault her but was unable to get an erection. He then masturbated, ejaculated, and fled on foot.
Police located “potential semen stains on the glove compartment and shifter panel” and submitted the evidence to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).
At the time, the DNA profile could not be matched to a suspect. However, as new profiles were added to the state database, the sample was routinely rechecked, and in February 2024, “the DNA Database returned a match to Trepanier from an unrelated case,” leading to his identification roughly a decade after the attack.
Francene Myhra, the victim’s mother, told Alpha News their daughter objected to dropping the sexual assault charge but was overruled by Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Nicole Harris, whom the family alleges told their daughter, “ultimately it’s my decision.”
“My daughter said no — he sexually assaulted me — and I don’t want it taken off,” Myhra said. “But it was taken off anyway.”
The family also said they were not informed ahead of time that the charge would be dismissed.
Error shortens prison time
The family further explained that Trepanier’s kidnapping conviction was entered at a lower severity level than appropriate under Minnesota sentencing guidelines due to what they claim was an error by Harris.
“He pled guilty to a level six offense, when it was supposed to be a level eight,” Myhra said, adding that the difference significantly reduced the sentencing range.
Ramsey County Judge Veena Iyer discussed the error in a court order earlier this month, writing, “In short, the State was mistaken about the offense to which Mr. Trepanier pled guilty and was therefore mistaken about the sentence to which it agreed.”
“Frankly, the Court assumed that the plea agreement would ensure that Mr. Trepanier was committed to prison for several years but did not confirm this assumption at the time of the guilty plea and adjudication of guilt,” she continued. “But the State’s mistake and the Court’s assumption do not amount to a mutual mistake as a matter of law.”
The family says Harris later acknowledged the mistake but indicated nothing could be done after the plea was accepted by a judge.
“There was no ‘I’m sorry,’” Myhra said. “She never once apologized.”
Myhra said Harris’ demeanor throughout the case left the family feeling unsupported.
“From day one she has been so very cold, rude and seemed to have no empathy,” they recently wrote to the county attorney’s office, adding that “we felt like we needed to watch everything we said because we didn’t want to get on her bad side,” and “we felt that we were at her mercy.”
Trepanier investigated in two other 2014 attacks
Ten years before Trepanier was identified through DNA evidence, law enforcement in the east metro warned of a man targeting women in strikingly similar incidents.
In February 2014 — nine months before the Maplewood bar kidnapping — police in North St. Paul and Maplewood investigated two armed carjackings involving women who said the attacker intended to sexually assault them.
According to news reports at the time, the first incident occurred outside the Polar Ice Arena in North St. Paul. A man dressed in black entered a 24-year-old woman’s vehicle, pointed a gun at her, and ordered her to drive to another location, telling her, “we’re going to have sex.”
The woman escaped by jumping from the car and running for help.
Later that same day, a woman in Maplewood reported a similar encounter after a man forced his way into her car near a fitness center and ordered her to drive to a nearby parking lot. She was able to talk him out of carrying out the assault, and he fled on foot.
These are the same two incidents, dated Feb. 23, 2014, referenced in court documents that prosecutors agreed not to charge Trepanier with as part of the plea agreement — a decision that puzzled Myhra, who said investigators told the family they believed he was responsible.
“They told us this is the guy that we feel did it to these other two,” she said.
2019 stalking, indecent exposure conviction
Court records show Trepanier was convicted in 2019 of stalking and indecent exposure tied to two incidents that occurred on the same day in August 2018 in White Bear Lake and Vadnais Heights.
According to the criminal complaint, a woman waiting outside a coffee shop reported seeing a man with his pants down masturbating while staring at her.
A short time later, another woman told police a man had climbed onto her deck, watched her and her husband through a window for an extended period, and was captured on surveillance video lowering his pants and masturbating.
Investigators later identified Trepanier through witness identifications and DNA evidence recovered from clothing left at the scene.
Despite the convictions, court records show he served only a few days in custody, with the remainder of his sentence stayed and served on probation.
Family raises public safety concerns
Trepanier has a sentencing hearing scheduled for Friday. Judge Iyer wrote in her order that Trepanier faces a sentence of 22 months to 32 months. With credit for time served and under Minnesota’s requirement that offenders only serve two-third of their sentence incarcerated, the victim’s family says they have been told Trepanier could be released imminently.
But they fear he has not received treatment and could reoffend.
“He has had no rehabilitation,” Myhra claimed. “He is being let out to offend again.”
Myhra said her daughter continues to deal with the long-term effects of the attack and years of court proceedings.
Officials at the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office have agreed to meet with the family in early May to discuss their concerns, according to Myhra.
“This man is getting out,” Myhra said. “People need to know.”
In a statement to Alpha News, a Ramsey County Attorney’s Office spokesperson said: “As this matter remains an active and pending case, our office cannot provide further comment at this time. Consistent with our prosecutorial responsibilities, we continue to review all available evidence and apply our discretion appropriately. We recognize and appreciate the courage demonstrated by the victim in coming forward and sharing her experience.”
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
