Woman Reports Assault on Rochester, MN Trail, Suspect Arrested

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A Rochester man was arrested in connection to a sexual assault that was reported on a Rochester walking and biking trail over the weekend. 

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Rochester Police Captain Casey Moilanen says officers responded to the assault reported near the Douglas Trail Head off of Valleyhigh Dr. Northwest. The alleged sexual assault was reported around 1 p.m. Sunday. 

Moilanen said the woman told officers she was walking her dog northbound on the trail. She said her dog appeared to have noticed something in the woods on the north side of the 41st St. Northwest pedestrian bridge. Upon further examination, the woman found a man she said sitting cross-legged in a wooded area off the trail. 

The woman told officers she turned around and proceeded southbound towards her vehicle while calling her husband. She said she then saw the man had emerged from the woods, unzipped a sweatshirt he was wearing and began running at her. 

The woman said the man made a comment and grabbed her between her legs. Moilanen said the woman told the man she was calling the police and that the man fled the area on foot. 

About 45 minutes after the call, officers responded to the report of a naked man on the Douglas Trail in the same area of the alleged sexual assault. Officers responded to the area and found the man, who matched the description of the sexual assault suspect Moilanen said. 

The suspect, whose behavior led officers to suspect him of being under the influence of drugs, was identified as 46-year-old Ryan Anderson. Olmsted County Adult Detention Center records indicate he was booked into the jail on suspicion of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, fifth-degree assault, disorderly conduct and indecent exposure.