Charges: Convicted Rapist Accused Of Sex Assault In Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A previously convicted rapist is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in south Minneapolis early Sunday morning, according to charges filed by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
Keith Eugene Washington, 39 of Minneapolis, is charged with three felony counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of third-degree assault in connection with the incident.
According to the charges, the Minneapolis Police Department was called to 2810 Emerson Ave. N. at about 4:43 a.m. on a report of possible criminal sexual conduct in progress. When officers arrived, they found an adult female unconscious on the grass in front of the address. Her black T-shirt was torn or stretched out and was pulled up, exposing her bra and breasts. Her jeans unbuttoned and pulled down along with her underwear, and she had red marks along her neck as well as grass and wood chips in her clothing and hair.
The complaint states officers attempted to bring her to consciousness and she took a deep breath, said "He raped me" and started sobbing uncontrollably.
The victim eventually told officers she was with her sister at bars earlier in the evening, got into an argument with her sister and went outside to call another sister for a ride home. The complaint states while she was on the phone, a man identified as Washington approached her and started bothering her.
He walked with her for a couple of blocks, then tackled the victim to the ground. The complaint states he began choking her while sitting on top of her. She blacked out and though she was going to die. She didn't regain consciousness until seeing the officers, and Washington was gone. She said her cell phone was also missing.
The victim was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center to undergo a sexual assault exam.
The complaint states two known adults told officers they were walking in the area of 28th St. E. when they heard muffled screams coming from a woman. They saw a black male forcing a woman to the ground and asked the woman if she was OK. Washington told them, "She's fine."
The two adults walked towards Washington, but he pointed something at them and they ran off.
Officers located Washington while canvassing the area, and he had the victim's cell phone and ID. He also had on him the ID and cell phone of another sexual assault victim from a few hours earlier. That victim also said he was choked, unconscious and then sexually assaulted.
On Monday, Washington told police he had gotten lost in that area after going to several bars. He said he found the woman moaning on the ground and kicked her foot to see if she was OK. He then told a white male to call police because he thought she was drunk.
Washington has a previous conviction from 2000 for first-degree criminal sexual conduct. In that incident, he got to the victim's home at about 2 a.m. and strangled the woman until she was unconscious. When she awoke, she was naked and being raped. He strangled her again to where she lost consciousness and when she awoke, he was gone.
Washington is currently in the Hennepin County Jail. If convicted, he faces more than 90 years in prison and $130,000 in fines.
