A Manitoba man accused of falsely reporting his own kidnapping across the Canada-U.S. border apologized in court Tuesday as a judge set his bail. “I’m sorry for what I said and what I did,” Roderick Garson, 37, told Judge Michelle Clark of Minnesota’s Seventh Judicial District. Garson appeared by video from the Douglas County Jail in Alexandria, Minn., approximately 460 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg. North Dakota State Patrol said it was alerted Aug. 15 to a possible abduction that began in Manitoba and crossed into North Dakota. Police said a 31-year-old Manitoba man had allegedly abducted a 37-year-old man in Winnipeg. U.S. authorities said Garson ran to a nearby store that day, telling them he had escaped a captor who brought him across the border. The report triggered a multi-agency response involving the Winnipeg Police Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, Alexandria police and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, according to attorney Cooper Lach. A 31-year-old man was initially taken into custody. Police later said the two men knew each other. Garson is now charged with falsely reporting a crime. The Douglas County Attorney’s Office declined to pursue higher-level charges. “I’m just hoping to get out and hopefully find a job and pay the sting of my responsibility of what I did,” Garson told the court. Garson asked the court to appoint him a lawyer. Clark found he qualified for a public defender after he said he is unemployed and relies on his sister for financial support, and appointed him one. Lach asked that Garson be held in custody, citing his lack of ties to Minnesota and that he “has no ride back to Canada.” He also pointed to a Canadian criminal history that he said includes a 2017 assault-with-a-weapon incident, as well as 2024 mischief and assault-related matters that he could not confirm had resulted in convictions. Clark said she had no authority to hold Garson without bail on a misdemeanour charge. She set bail at $2,000 unconditional, or $1,500 cash or bond with conditions. Under the lower amount, Garson must remain law-abiding, make all court appearances, keep the court updated on his contact information, stay in touch with his lawyer and remain in Minnesota. Under the full $2,000 option, his only condition is to appear in court as scheduled. It is not yet known whether Garson will post bail, or which option he might choose. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf. His next court appearance is set for Sept. 9 at the courthouse in Alexandria, Minn. The charge has not been proven in court.
