North Branch man sentenced to 24 years after DNA ties him to 3 sexual assault cases
A 46-year-old North Branch, Minnesota, man was sentenced to over 20 years in prison for three separate assaults on young women after DNA technology used in 2023 led to his arrest, the attorney's office said.
Donald Edmond Warner attacked young women in 2010, 2011 and 2017, court documents say. In each case, Warner wrestled the woman to the ground and sexually assaulted her.
A Chisago County judge sentenced Warner on Monday to 24 years in prison for one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of attempted first-degree criminal sexual conduct, court records show. He was also sentenced to one year in prison for one count of escaping from custody.
Investigators were able to tie Warner to the attacks using DNA collected after each incident. In 2023, he became a person of interest in the 2017 case, in which he attacked a woman late at night as she walked home from a community event.
Documents say that after he was identified as a person of interest, law enforcement monitored him, and saw him throw a used cigarette butt in a dumpster. They brought the cigarette to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for DNA testing. The agency then turned to a genetic genealogy laboratory to develop leads that led to Warner's arrest in December 2023.
Documents say that in April, he escaped from the Chisago County Jail while working his custodial duties. Law enforcement found him nearly two hours later in a trash can in a park.
Warner pleaded guilty to each of the criminal sexual conduct charges in May.
Sexual Assault Resources
- (SOS – Ramsey County)
- Sexual Violence Center (SVC – Hennepin County)
- Aurora Center (U of MN)
- 360 Communities (Dakota County)
- Hope Center (Rice County)
- Canvas Health (Washington County)
- Alexandra House (Anoka County)
General Sites for information related to sexual assault and resources throughout Minnesota:
General Sexual Assault Websites:
