Teen Girl Reports Being Raped at Rochester Park, Suspect Charged

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A man awaiting trial for a criminal sexual conduct case has been charged for the alleged raping teenage girl at a Rochester park.

Read More: Man Accused of Groping Woman in Rochester Skyway System

The criminal complaint, filed in Olmsted County Court on Tuesday, says officers learned of the alleged sexual assault while following up on a child protection case regarding a sexually explicit photo sent to a teen girl.

The girl told Rochester police during the October interview that she believed she was accidentally sent the photo.

Man Charged in Rochester Skyway Groping Incident Accused of Raping Teen Girl at Rochester, MN Park

While speaking with officers, the teen disclosed that she had been sexually assaulted on an undisclosed date in the Summer of 2024 at Martin Luther King Park in Rochester, the complaint says.

The girl, who is under the age of 16, told police she had taken two kids she was babysitting to the park.

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She said the three of them left the park but she returned to retrieve her phone. That’s when she encountered two males who came up to her, grabbed her and carried her into a porta-potty, the charges allege.

The two men then raped her in the prota-potty before leaving the park and knocking over the porta-potty, according to the complaint.

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).

One of the assailants was identified in the court filing as 30-year-old Dante Terrel Cooper of Rochester. The teen girl told police that she knows Cooper. The other assailant is not identified in the court document.

Cooper. Olmsted County ADC

Cooper is charged with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. He’s scheduled to make his first court appearance in March.

Cooper is set to go to trial for the previous criminal sexual conduct case in March. He was accused of exposing himself to a woman before groping her in a downtown Rochester skyway last January.

Court records indicated he posted $5,000 bail in that case in February of last year.