Breaking News: Man pleads guilty to kidnapping ex-girlfriend with infant in vehicle

A 19-year-old man admitted Monday morning that he forced his ex-girlfriend into her vehicle following an argument, locked them both inside — along with their infant — drove down I-90 and continued to physically restrain her after the ex-girlfriend grabbed the wheel to intentionally force the car off the road.
The assault was stopped by law enforcement, who found Andrew Foster straddling the screaming ex-girlfriend in the crashed car near Park City. A deputy pointed his gun at Foster and ordered him to stop, which he did.
Foster pleaded guilty in 22nd Judicial District Court today, July 10, to one felony count of kidnapping and one misdemeanor count of partner/family member assault (pfma). In exchange for his guilty pleas, the Stillwater County Attorney’s Office will recommend a 3-year deferred sentence.
If the judge follows the sentencing recommendation, the felony kidnapping offense could be cleared from Foster’s record in three years if he abides by all court orders.
A presentence investigation has been ordered and sentencing has been set for Sept. 8.
Because no jail time is being sought in the case, the Stillwater County Attorney’s Office did not object to Foster’s request to be released from the Yellowstone County Detention Facility, where he has been held on $10,000 bond since his April arrest.
When Foster returned to his seat following the court hearing, he smiled and softly laughed with other inmates awaiting to make appearances.

THE CASE
According to court documents, in April, Foster “took command” of the victim’s vehicle and held the woman and her infant in the locked vehicle against her will. Foster allegedly engaged the child safety locks in the back doors and knew that both of the front doors were broken and could not be opened from the inside.
Foster committed the pfma when he physically restrained the victim using violent force as she was attempting to escape, according to court documents.
The victim told police she had seen Foster riding his bike in downtown Billings and agreed to give him a ride to his mother’s home. She said Foster asked her for a hug and when she refused, he forced his way back into the vehicle, took her keys and cell phone and told her “that he was kidnapping her and their daughter and taking them to Mexico because there are no laws in Mexico,” according to court documents.
The victim said she made a sign that read “HELP — CALL 911” but that Foster saw it and threw it, along with her phone, out the window. She finally grabbed the steering wheel, causing Foster to drive off I-90 due to a flat tire.
A Stillwater County deputy and Columbus police officer who were looking for a different vehicle saw the car around 4:06 p.m. at mile marker 411. A 911 call also came into dispatch around that time about a “rolling domestic” involving a man, a woman and an infant, according to Stillwater County Sheriff’s dispatch records.