Man, 38, Arrested In Connection With 3 St. Paul Rapes

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 38-year-old man has been arrested in connection with three rapes that occurred in St. Paul this fall.

According to the St. Paul Police Department, officers arrested Larry Donnell Griffin Tuesday in connection with rapes that occurred between August and October. Officers were able to link the three cases using DNA prior to Griffin's arrest.

The first case occurred on Aug. 30. A woman told police she had been walking near a SuperAmerica on Payne Avenue when a man driving a tan minivan approached her. He asked if she needed a ride, and then raped her at gunpoint in the vehicle.

The second case reportedly occurred on Sept. 22. The victim reported she had been walking near Payne and Magnolia avenues when she was robbed and raped at gunpoint.

Police said the third case, which occurred on Oct. 25, followed the same pattern. Just before midnight, officers saw a 41-year-old woman running across the street. She was nude and crying hysterically. The victim told police she was walking on Payne Avenue when a man in a minivan pulled up next to her and asked if she needed a ride. When she ignored him, he forced her into the vehicle at gunpoint and raped her.

Police said, Griffin was stopped around 1 p.m. in the parking lot of Hazel Park Preparatory Academy. During the course of investigation, officers found two guns in Griffin's possession that they believed were used in the crimes.

Griffin has been booked into the Ramsey County jail where he is awaiting three charges of criminal sexual conduct.

According to the Pioneer Press, Griffin was charged with possession of cocaine in 1999, driving while impaired in 2004 and felony theft in 2012. He was also charged with domestic assault in 2005, but the count was dismissed and he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.

Officers believe he may be involved in more rapes. They are currently investigating to see if he is connected to other cases.

"St. Paul is safer now that he's in jail, but we do want to know if there are other victims out there," St. Paul police spokesman Steve Linders said.

Anyone with any information, or who may have been a victim, is asked to call 651-266-5685.