VIRGINIA, Minn. — A fourth man has been arrested and charged in connection with a kidnapping and rape allegedly perpetrated by Hells Angels members in Eveleth.

Eric Anthony Newman, 48, of Gilman, Wisconsin, was arraigned Monday on charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping, false imprisonment and fifth-degree assault.

Newman, who has a long history of violent crime, is one of two defendants accused of sexually assaulting a woman at an Eveleth residence in late November. A man also was beaten and taken to the local Hells Angels clubhouse, where the chapter president reportedly planned to hold him for a “few months,” according to court documents.

The charges against Newman were filed in mid-December, but the case remained under seal at the request of St. Louis County prosecutor Chris Florey, who expressed concern that Newman would flee if the case’s existence were publicly disclosed prior to his arrest. He was taken into custody in Taylor County, Wis., last week and then extradited to Minnesota.

Others already arrested and charged in the case are: Jerand Paul French, 38, of Eveleth, Minn.; Paul Anthony Debelak, 38, also of Eveleth; and Jake Douglas Novaczyk, 45, of Inver Grove Heights.

According to court documents, the male victim was found limping and shaking in apparent fear near the Eveleth Police Department by Chief Jesse Linde on the evening of Nov. 28. He declined medical attention and was dropped off with another person.

Police went on to view city cameras in the area, finding that the victim apparently left the Hells Angels clubhouse, 413 Grant Ave., on crutches. Two men gave chase before he was able to make it to the area of the police station, about two blocks away.

The man and a female victim went on to meet with investigators on Dec. 1. Documents say the man, who still had bruising on his leg, expressed fear that the motorcycle club members could find them and disclosed that French, the president, had been upset about his association with the female victim.

Investigators said both victims were visiting a residence on Summit Street in Eveleth on Nov. 27 when the defendants arrived. French allegedly dragged the man downstairs, repeatedly punching and kicking him, while Newman grabbed the woman by the throat and dragged her to the base of the stairs. She told investigators that she was then forced into a bathroom, where both Debelak and Newman raped her.

Criminal complaints say the male victim was then brought to the clubhouse, where French continued to assault him as other members recorded video. He reportedly informed the victim he would remain there “for the next few months and could not leave.”

The man, however, escaped to the police department the next day when a prospect escorted him to a gas station. He told police he “decided to make a run for it,” ditching the crutches as he hurried toward the safety of the police chief.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension executed a search warrant at the Summit Street address on Dec. 8, finding the home “extremely filthy” with the exception of the “spotless” bathroom, which had a bleach jug sitting near the sink.

Two men at the house acknowledged that the Hells Angels president and others had showed up on Nov. 27, assaulting the male victim and taking him out to a van, according to the complaint. Asked about the rape, one reportedly started crying and denied that it had occurred.

Police said street cameras near the Grant Avenue clubhouse also confirmed the group arriving with the kidnap victim around 12:55 p.m. that day. Both victims, in separate interviews, went on to identify Novaczyk as the driver of the van.

Newman has been described in prior court documents as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from military service.

He was sentenced in 1996 to 12 ½ years in federal prison after pleading guilty to robbing a Wisconsin bank and using a sawed-off shotgun in the commission of a violent crime. He was granted supervised release in 2007, but was soon sent back to prison after leading officers on a high-speed chase in the Eau Claire area.

He was subsequently convicted of a number of other crimes in Wisconsin, including forgery, aggravated battery, resisting or obstructing an officer, disorderly conduct, fleeing police in a vehicle, theft and damage to property. He was also convicted of fifth-degree assault in Carlton County in 2017.

Newman is currently on probation for a March 2022 incident in which he fled from a St. Louis County sheriff’s deputy before engaging in a physical struggle and grabbing at the officer’s firearm holster in the Embarrass, Minn., area.

He pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, fourth-degree assault of a police officer and impaired driving, but received a favorable sentence under a 2021 law that gives military veterans a second chance. Under the agreement, the charges would be dismissed if he successfully completes five years of supervised probation, including participation in the Veterans Treatment Court program.

Judge Bhupesh Pattni on Monday set bail at $750,000, though a probation violation hold currently precludes any opportunity for release. Debelak and Novaczyk also remain in jail, while French has posted bond.

All four are slated to make court appearances Jan. 16.

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