Minnesota Man Who Hid Missing Teen in Woods Sentenced to Prison

Pine City, MN (MinnesotaNow) - A northern Minnesota man has been sentenced for abducting and sexually assaulting a teenage girl two years ago.

Minnesota court records state that the investigation that led to 39-year-old Sean Patrick Bellach’s conviction earlier this year began in May 2023 after the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension issued a missing person alert for a 14-year-old girl at the request of the Forest Lake Police Department. The investigation led to the discovery of messages Bellach exchanged with the missing juvenile and that he had lived in the same home as the girl while in a romantic relationship with her mother.

Search Leads to Discovery of Missing Teenager at Pine County Property

The criminal complaint in the case says investigators later executed a search warrant at Bellach’s home in the Cambridge area and found a trailer matching the description of one that had been attached to the missing girl’s bicycle the day she disappeared. The search also led to the discovery of two cell phones that were tracked to a rural property in Pine County. 

According to court documents, the missing teenager was found hiding inside a closet when investigators searched the property. The owners, who said Bellach was a close friend, reported that he had brought the girl to that location and set her up in a tent in the woods near their home.

The criminal complaint says the homeowners also told investigators that Bellach claimed the girl was being abused by her parents, and they believed they were helping her by allowing her to stay on their property. Bellach later admitted to investigators that he had lied to law enforcement about her whereabouts.

The Charges Were Later Amended to Include Kidnapping and Sexual Assault

He was initially charged with felony deprivation of parental or custodial rights, but the criminal complaint was later amended to include kidnapping, child solicitation, and second-degree criminal sexual conduct. The court document says further investigation uncovered evidence of sexual conversations between Bellach and the girl, along with DNA evidence of sexual assault.

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In August, Bellach reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in Pine County and entered Alford pleas to the kidnapping and sexual assault charges. The plea means he does not admit guilt in the case but acknowledges there is sufficient evidence for a conviction.

Lifetime Predatory Offender Requirement

Bellach was sentenced today to four years in prison with credit for 25 days already served in jail. The sentencing order also indicates he will be on conditional release and will be required to register as a predatory offender for the remainder of his life.

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