Grand Forks man resentenced for kidnapping, attempted gross sexual imposition
Nov. 4—GRAND FORKS — A Grand Forks man was resentenced Friday, Nov. 1, after an appeal to the North Dakota Supreme Court for his felony convictions resulted in a partial reversal, but his time to serve ultimately remains unchanged.
Jarrod Jashawn Adams, 30,
was found guilty in June 2023
of Class A felony attempted gross sexual imposition, Class A felony kidnapping, Class C felony terrorizing, Class C felony interference with a telephone during an emergency call and Class B misdemeanor simple assault.
Court documents say Adams followed a woman into her secure apartment building and upstairs to her fourth floor unit on May 1, 2022. He blocked the woman when she approached the elevator, grabbed her by the neck, threatened her and told her they were going into her apartment.
The victim was unable to call 911 because Adams kept grabbing at her phone, and was ultimately able to take it from her. She ran down the hallway into a vacant unit, and Adams followed.
She reported fearing for her life, and had to fight Adams off to escape, documents said. Adams was found one block from the building, with visible injuries on his face.
He
was sentenced in September 2023
to 20 years for the gross sexual imposition charge, and an additional 20 years — with 10 suspended — for the kidnapping.
In his appeal for the two Class A felony convictions, Adams argued there were errors in the instructional documents given to the jury, the jury did not unanimously find him guilty of all elements of kidnapping and there was insufficient evidence to support a kidnapping conviction.
The Supreme Court found the instructions were sufficient and there was no violation related to meeting the elements of kidnapping.
The Supreme Court found that, though there was sufficient evidence to convict Adams of kidnapping, he was improperly sentenced for the crime — it should have been filed as a Class B felony because, according to Century Code, kidnapping is a Class B felony offense if the offender voluntarily releases the victim alive and in a safe place prior to trial.
At his resentencing hearing Friday, Nov. 1, Adams was sentenced to 10 years to serve for the kidnapping, which is ultimately the same sentence he was originally ordered to serve for the crime, though without 10 additional years hanging over him upon release if he violates any probation conditions.
With credit since May 1, 2022, Adams has approximately 27.5 years left to serve in prison.
