Mpls. Cop Accused Of Attempting To Sexually Assault Unconscious Woman

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A Minneapolis police officer is accused of attempting to sexually assault an acquaintance in December after she passed out on a couch after drinking with the officer and another friend.

Thomas Robert Tichich, 47, is charged with one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to a warrant issued Wednesday for his arrest in Hennepin County.

Tichich, of Plymouth, was booked into Hennepin County Jail early Thursday morning. Bail was set at $50,000. He is slated to appear in court Thursday afternoon.

A spokesperson for Minneapolis police confirmed Tichich is an officer.

According to the criminal complaint, Tichich was drinking in northeast Minneapolis on Dec. 14 with two women, one of which invited her companions to stay at her nearby home because they had had too much to drive.

Tichich was told he could sleep on a small couch while the women slept separately, one in her bed and the other on a couch in another room.

In the middle of the night, Tichich allegedly knocked on the bedroom door of the woman who invited him over, and she told him to go back to the small couch.

Later, the woman told police that she woke up to find Tichich touching her arm. She said she yelled at Tichich, told him to get out and went to another room. She tried to sleep, but couldn't.

Unable to rest, the woman went to tell Tichich to leave her home. But when she got up to look for him, she found him naked, leaning over the other woman, who was unconscious on the large couch.

The woman took photos of Tichich, the complaint states. She then ordered Tichich to leave and called police. The man left without his shoes or his phone.

When officers arrived, they had trouble waking the victim. When she did come to, the woman was "confused and did not understand what was happening," the complaint states. She said she did not consent to anything sexual with Tichich, nor had she had any past relationship with him.

The next day, Tichich emailed the woman who kicked him out, asking if she had is phone. He added: "My drunk ass had way to (sic) much to drink. I apologize."

If convicted of the third-degree criminal sexual conduct charge, Tichich faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and/or a $30,000 fine. The fourth-degree charge comes with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine.