Rochester man charged with kidnapping, arson pleads not guilty

(ABC 6 News) – A Rochester man charged with kidnapping a woman and setting fire to a townhouse in Pine Island is pleading not guilty.

52-year-old Michael Steven Drury, of Rochester, is charged with kidnapping, first-degree burglary, false imprisonment, terroristic threats, second-degree assault, and first-degree arson.

According to court documents, Drury forced the victim into her car and told her to start driving on Hwy 52. Drury told her he was going to grab the wheel and steer the car into a bridge. He reportedly punched the woman in the head and caused her to swerve into another lane of traffic.

RELATED: Man charged with arson, kidnapping after Pine Island townhouse fire

Drury told her to get off the highway at the Oronoco exit. They ended up at the woman’s townhome in Pine Island at the 1000 block of 7th Ave SW.

The woman was able to get free of the residence to a safe place to make calls to law enforcement. Goodhue County deputies got a call around 4:06 a.m. to remove an unwanted person from the home in Pine Island.

When Goodhue County deputies arrived, they set up a perimeter and searched for the suspect. Deputies spoke to him through an upstairs window where he was threatening to jump, saying he was going to burn the house down.

Officials say a bright orange flow started in the main level of the house and shortly after Drury broke out of a top floor window, refusing to come out.

Drury ended up exiting through the garage because of the smoke. He refused to listen to commands from deputies so they used a taser to get him into handcuffs. He also kicked a deputy in the shin during the arrest.

A trial date for Drury has not been scheduled.