Cedar Rapids man will serve 30 years for beating, raping wife

A woman said the day her husband grabbed her and dragged her by a choke hold down into the basement was just the beginning of the “scariest day of her life.”

He beat her, gagged her with a pair of her panties, restrained her with tape and a belt, raped her, stomped on her pubic bone, the woman said during a victim impact statement today in Linn County District Court.

She still has nightmares when she feels an “ominous hand” on her shoulder that wakes her up and she can't catch her breath for a few seconds.

Shawn Kruse, 32, of Cedar Rapids was sentenced to 30 years in prison today for second-degree kidnapping, second-degree sexual abuse, assault while participating in a felony, going armed with intent and eluding charges.

Kruse must serve at least 17-1/2 years on the kidnapping and sexual abuse charges before being eligible for parole. He was also sentenced to a special sentence of being on lifetime parole because of the sexual abuse charge.

Kruse, before the judge sentened him, apologized to his family and friends and his now ex-wife's family and friends. He said he hopes her bad memories go away and everybody can forgive him someday.

Kruse made an Alford plea in December, saying he doesn't remember all the details of the incident.

His ex-wife said Kruse called her after the incident and told her he remembered what happened and apologized to her.

She said the only reason her torture that lasted for hours stopped is because he left the house to get a shotgun, so he could kill them both.

Before he left, he piled a sofa and an ottoman on top of her, so she couldn't escaped. Once he left, she loosened the tape around her wrists and the belt around her legs and got out from under the furniture to get to her cell phone and call her mother. She first called 911 but she had the gag on her mouth and the dispatcher hung up on her because she couldn't understand her.

In the meantime, Kruse came back to the house but when he saw police he turned around. Police later found him and he led them on a high speed chase on Highway 30 before crashing his car into a ditch.

Kruse remains paralyzed from the waist down.