Bemidji Police looking for suspect in two attempted abductions

Bemidji Police are actively looking for a 25-year-old Cass Lake man, after reports of multiple attempted abductions.

On Thursday, March 23, police were dispatched to the area of Birch Lane NE, speaking with two women who said they were separately approached by a man wearing a face mask. They told police the man grabbed and held them against a vehicle parked on the street, and were let go after they screamed.

BSU Public Safety staff were able to locate video footage of the suspect on campus, later identified as Jonathan Lee Staples.

Police have not yet located Staples whereabouts. He was seen on camera wearing a black skiing-style face mask, a red hooded sweatshirt, a black leather jacket, blue jeans, and boots; however that clothing description may not match what the suspect is wearing now.

The Bemidji Police Department asks anyone with information about Staples or his location to come forward. If you live in the immediate area and have outdoor surveillance cameras that may have captured video of the suspect as he fled on foot or prior to the incident, please contact the Bemidji Police Department at 218-333-9111.

If you have information about this crime you can report it and stay anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers of Minnesota at their website, by calling the toll free phone number 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or by using the P3 Tip Submit app installable on all smartphones. All contact with Crime Stoppers is anonymous and you may qualify for a reward of up to $1,000. The Bemidji Police Department encourages you to submit information to Crime Stoppers so you are free of retribution and remain safe.