Man Accused of Groping Woman in Rochester’s Skyway System

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The Olmsted County Attorney’s Office has filed charges against a man accused of groping a woman in Rochester’s skyway system. 

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The criminal complaint, filed Monday in Olmsted County Court, says Rochester Police  responded to the report of a sexual assault Friday night. The victim is described as an adult female. 

The woman told officers she was riding up the escalators towards the skyway in the 50 block of 2nd st. Southwest around 8 p.m. Friday when a man she did not know approached her and began talking with her. 

She told police she was walking and talking with the man in the skyway when he made a dash towards a men’s bathroom near the university building and pushed her inside of the restroom, the charges say.

After a brief moment the man asked her to get inside of a stall and she told him no. The man then exposed himself to the woman and grabbed her hand in an attempt to lead her into the stall but the woman refused saying it was getting late and that she wanted to go home, the complaint says. 

The victim told police the two then exited the bathroom and went up a stairwell where the man suddenly used his belongings to block her path up the stairs. The victim stated the man then groped her before she left the skyway and her alleged assailant behind, the charges say. 

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, resources are available for help. Visit the RAINN website (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) or dial 800-656-HOPE (800-656-4673).

The woman then showed officers text messages she had received from the man, telling officers the two had exchanged phone numbers at some point during the encounter. The complaint also indicates the man called her but the woman did not answer.

The alleged assailant is identified as 29-year-old Dante Terrel Cooper. The woman gave officers Cooper’s description and police found him walking in the skyway system at the Bio Business Center shortly before 10:15 p.m. 

Cooper was wearing the same clothing as a man seen in a security camera image walking in the skyway with the victim, the charges state. Officers then arrested him and he declined to give a statement. 

The court document does not list a permanent address for Copper. He was arranged Monday on a gross misdemeanor fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct charge and a count of misdemeanor indecent exposure. 

His bail was set at $5,000 without conditions. Cooper is due back in court later this month and remains in custody at the Olmsted County Jail as of Monday night.

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