Former Rochester Business Owner Loses Appeal in Sex Abuse Case
St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - A former downtown Rochester coffee shop owner convicted of having sex with a 14-year old boy has lost his appeal.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals today issued a ruling upholding 47-year-old Christopher Holloway’s conviction on 3rd and 4th-degree criminal sexual conduct charges. He was arrested after the teenager’s mother called police when she returned to her home and found the middle-aged man in bed and naked with her son. The incident occurred in December of 2014 and resulted in Holloway receiving a stayed prison sentence, an 8-month jail term, and 10-years on probation.
In his appeal, Holloway unsuccessfully argued the judge in the case should have told the jury the prosecution needed to prove he did not know the victim’s age. He also challenged the constitutionality of a state law that limits a defendant’s ability to use a “mistake of age” defense to cases where there is less than 10 years difference in the ages of the victim and the accused.
Court records show Holloway, who recently returned to Rochester for the Appeals Court’s oral arguments on his case, currently lives in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.
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