Judge releases St. Paul man accused of raping child on $80k bond
A St. Paul man accused of meeting a 13-year-old girl on a social media application and raping her was released Tuesday morning by Judge Der Yang on an $80,000 bond during a court hearing in Ramsey County District Court.
*Disclaimer: Criminal complaints are based off law enforcement’s and prosecutor's interpretation of what a defendant did. They should not be considered factual by the public. All those charged with crimes are innocent until proven in a court of law. Any accusation in the below story comes from court documents unless expressly noted.*
ST. PAUL – A St. Paul man accused of meeting a 13-year-old girl on a social media application and raping her was released Tuesday morning by Judge Der Yang on an $80,000 bond during a court hearing in Ramsey County District Court.
Brandon Jesse Johnson, 32, is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct for penetration or contact with a child under 14 years old, a felony, in addition to carrying a pistol without a permit in a public place, a gross misdemeanor.
Johnson is accused of meeting the girl on the dating application Lovely during the early morning hours of Oct. 19 and repeatedly sexually assaulting her after he picked her up in his vehicle, according to the complaint, signed by St. Paul Police Sgt. Joseph Bilek.
Karen Kugler, a sex crimes prosecutor with the Ramsey County Attorney's Office, also signed the complaint.
The girl told law enforcement that Johnson forced her to ingest marijuana and alcohol. At one point, he pushed her off a bed, injuring her arm, after she signaled to Johnson that he was hurting her.
St. Paul police tracked Johnson’s cell phone to a residential building on the 1200 block of Sherburne Ave. on Oct. 19 after responding to a call to assist another law enforcement agency looking for the girl, who was considered a runaway.
Johnson had a gun in his vehicle and she was afraid he would hurt her, she told police.
Johnson told law enforcement that he messaged with the girl on Lovely that morning and picked her up but denied sexually assaulting her.
Police found a black semi-automatic pistol in his vehicle, according to officer Bilek.
No future court date has been set. No attorney is listed for Johnson as of Oct. 21.
While Johnson was ordered to be released on bail, he is still listed as in custody in the Ramsey County jail.
***For help following a sexual assault, please visit the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault to find advocacy and medical services.***
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