A 20-year-old man has been charged after two teenage girls were allegedly targeted in separate incidents in Ramsey and Coon Rapids, Minnesota, within hours of each other.
Oliver Joseph Butcher faces charges of attempted first-degree criminal sexual conduct, attempted kidnapping and second-degree criminal sexual conduct over the incidents on September 28.
Teen allegedly chased in Ramsey
Police say the first incident happened at about 2.05pm near Alpine Drive North-west and Vicuna Street North-west in Ramsey.
A 15-year-old girl told officers that a man in a black Dodge SUV stopped and asked her for directions to the nearest Walmart. After she answered, he allegedly parked, got out and began chasing her.
The criminal complaint alleges that the man caught the girl, grabbed her from behind and lifted her off the ground. She fought back and he dropped her before returning to the vehicle and driving away, prosecutors claim.
About eight hours later, at approximately 10.25pm, a 17-year-old girl reported a similar incident in Coon Rapids, near Northdale Boulevard North-west and Marigold Street North-west.
According to the complaint, the girl was walking home from a petrol station when a man in a black Dodge SUV offered to pay her for sex. After she refused and said she was underage, he allegedly got out of the vehicle and shouted that he had a gun.
The girl ran but was allegedly caught, pushed to the ground and held in a headlock. The man is accused of ordering her to switch off her mobile phone and sexually assaulting her before leaving the area.
Police identify suspect using vehicle data
The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office said investigators examined images of the suspected vehicle and obtained search warrants for automated number-plate reader data. Flock Safety cameras played a key role in identifying the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators also used location data which allegedly placed the vehicle and Butcher’s mobile phone in the areas of both incidents.
Ramsey police stopped Butcher while he was driving the Dodge Durango at about 3.30am on October 1. He allegedly told investigators he had chased the 15-year-old and intended to have sex with her, although he claimed he had initially mistaken her for a friend of his girlfriend.
In relation to the Coon Rapids incident, Butcher allegedly admitted chasing the older girl, grabbing her, exposing himself and intending to have sex with her, according to the complaint.
The sheriff’s office said Butcher, who is from Ramsey, was arrested on October 2. It said there was no ongoing threat to the public.
The investigation involved the Ramsey Police Department, Coon Rapids Police Department, Anoka County Sheriff’s Office and Midwest Regional Forensic Laboratory, with assistance from several other agencies including the FBI and Minnesota State Patrol.
Butcher appeared in court on Monday, October 5, where a judge set bail at $2 million without conditions. He remains in custody at Anoka County Jail.
The charges are allegations, and Butcher is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
