RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) - A 35-year-old Vermont man will serve between two to five years behind bars for holding his now ex-wife captive in their Rutland home for almost five years.
WCAX-TV reports (https://bit.ly/1spHmDP ) Michael Jokinen was sentenced Tuesday after admitting in January that he knowingly and unlawfully restrained his wife in their home.
Prosecutors say Jokinen boarded the windows of his bedroom and began keeping his ex-wife padlocked inside beginning in 2010, allowing her to shower only once a week - with him. She fled the home in December 2014 by jumping out of a second-floor window.
Jokinen was initially charged with kidnapping and faced a life-sentence. The charge was dropped following a plea deal with prosecutors.
The victim said in court that she’s overcome her issues and is now more confident.
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Information from: WCAX-TV, https://www.wcax.com
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