Man Accused Of Sexual Assault At St. Paul Light Rail Transit Station
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) – A 55-year-old South St. Paul man is accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a St. Paul light rail station on Saturday, according to charges filed in Ramsey County Court.
Andrew Wardell King has been charged with fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the incident.
According to the charges, St. Paul police responded at about 3:29 a.m. Saturday to the area of University and Western Avenues in St. Paul on a report of a sexual assault. When officers arrived, a 23-year-old female victim said she was sketching people on the light rail platform at 5th and Sibley when she started talking to a male, later identified as King.
They were talking while she was sketching him on a pad, and he got verbally aggressive with her so she got off the train.
The complaint states he followed her off the train, put her up against a wall and pushed his body close to hers. He told her, "I'm going to rape you" while he pushed her head and neck hack. He grabbed her buttocks over her clothing and kissed her against her will. The victim was crying and told him, "No! Please stop!"
King then grabbed her arms and dragged her off the platform before letting her go, the complaint states. He fled the scene.
Police located King nearby, and surveillance video from the train corroborates the victim's account of the incident.
According to the complaint, King told police that she told him she had fantasies about being raped. He also said he was afraid she would call the police and report him for rape, so he said he called 911. Police records show King called 911 at 3:43 a.m., 14 minutes after the victim's 911 call.
When he was arrested, King was not wearing a coat the he was wearing in the surveillance video. When he was asked about it and if he ditched it, he said, "I don't have it."
If convicted, King faces up to 10 years in jail and a $20,000 fine.
