A Jefferson man accused of kidnapping his biological son and triggering a statewide Amber Alert this past January has made a plea agreement.
According to court documents, a plea agreement was submitted on August 19th and on September 3rd 34-year-old Brandon Duong pleading guilty to a Class D Felony for violating a custodial order. The recommendation was five years in prison and it is to run consecutively with two charges from Woodbury County related to the Greene County charge, with Duong pleading guilty to a Class D Felony for eluding and an aggravated misdemeanor for child endangerment for a total of 12 years in prison. However, during sentencing, the judge will make the decision of what Duong will be sentenced to.
The charges stem from an incident on January 30th. Duong allegedly took his biological seven-year-old son from Greene County Elementary School without permission. There was a court order in place against Duong from having custody of his son. An Amber Alert was then sent out and Duong’s vehicle was eventually found in Woodbury County and after a high speed chase ended. Court documents show that Brandon was found holding his son while carrying a rifle before he was arrested.
Following a psychiatric evaluation conducted this past May, Duong was found competent to move forward with the case. The initial plea agreement was jointly submitted by all parties and a sentence hearing will be scheduled for a later date. Raccoon Valley Radio will bring you more information as it becomes official.