Man reaches deal in Barron home invasion case, pleads guilty to armed robbery

One of two men accused of invading a Barron home while armed, committing burglary and beating the elderly homeowner on Dec. 19 reached a plea deal on Friday in Barron County Circuit Court.

Ryan G. Charpentier, 33, of Little Canada, Minnesota, was charged on Jan. 3 with the following felonies: armed robbery, burglary while armed with a dangerous weapon, physical abuse of an elder person intentionally causing harm, false imprisonment and theft of movable property valued between $10,000 and $100,000

The defendant pleaded guilty on Friday to armed robbery, while the four other counts were dismissed but read into the record.

Charpentier’s $75,000 cash bond was revoked and his sentencing hearing is slated for Oct. 2. He remains in Barron County Jail.

His co-defendant, Ricardo A. Dominguez, 40, of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, was charged on Jan. 12 with the same felonies. His arraignment is set for July 29.

Dominguez is in Barron County Jail on a $75,000 cash bond.

Authorities had launched a search for suspects who allegedly assaulted and bound an elderly man in his home located in the area of East River Avenue and Highway 25 after the 70-year-old victim cut the zip ties binding his legs and walked to his neighbor’s home.

The suspects, armed with handguns, took items including more than $13,000 in cash plus a gun, jewelry and watch by threat of force, according to a Barron Police Department news release and the criminal complaint.

The police asked for the public’s help to identify and apprehend the men, and narrowed down one suspect by using Flock Safety cameras to track the movements of a tan SUV that had been spotted by the son of the victim’s neighbors in front of the victim’s house that afternoon.