After a night of drinking at a downtown Minneapolis pub, a St. Paul man is accused of rapping a lady who got into his car for a trip.
In connection with the incident on May 15, Francisco Alejandro Chale, 27, was charged Monday in Ramsey County District Court with kidnapping to assist a crime and first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Chale is being detained in the Ramsey County jail and will appear in court on Tuesday for an initial hearing on the allegations. The criminal complaint reads, “According to the criminal complaint:
On May 15, about 4 a.m., a frantic lady banged on his door on the 700 block of Slate Street on St. Paul’s West Side, claiming she had just been raped by an unknown male.
Officers discovered MEP, who was pacing and weeping and wearing a partially torn clothing, according to the complaint.
She was taken to Regions Hospital, where she provided a statement to the police and was subjected to a sexual assault examination.
She said she was forced into an Uber car in Minneapolis and brought against her will to St. Paul, where the suspect, subsequently identified as Chale, threatened to kill her and raped her, according to the complaint. She said she was able to elude the man and flee to a neighboring home.
She informed police that she and two companions, AG and DJS, had gone to a pub and met up with others. According to the allegations, the lady claimed she had “a lot” of drinks and that she and AG decided to walk to DJS’s apartment after closing time.
As they walked, the woman claimed that she was drifting in and out of consciousness and that she had lost AG. When she discovered she was in the passenger seat of a car driven by an unknown male of Hispanic origin, the woman stated she became more attentive.
The woman stated that as the vehicle came to a halt, she attempted to unlock the car door because she suspected something was wrong. According to the complaint, the guy then “jumped” on top of her from the driver’s seat and raped her. She said she couldn’t break free because of her drunkenness, and that when she reached for her phone, he snatched it from her grip and threatened to murder her if she tried to flee. She claimed to have fallen out of the car.
At around 3:30 a.m., the woman’s sister got a text from her with the phrase “Help,” according to authorities.
AG told police that she was severely inebriated and was looking for an Uber or a ride. Just after 3 a.m., she claimed, a car came up alongside her and the lady on Third Ave. S. in downtown Minneapolis, and they got inside. AG stated that she informed the driver that they were on their way to St. Paul. She informed police that he afterwards complimented on their appearances and groped both ladies. AG claimed she stepped out of the car and the driver raced away, leaving the woman behind.
According to the woman’s phone, she proceeded east on Interstate 94 from downtown Minneapolis, leaving on U.S. 52 at Concord Street in St. Paul.
A scuffle off camera can be seen on video and audio from a church on the 600 block of Livingston Avenue, as well as a guy with a Latino accent urging someone to get back into the car. A short time later, the woman is seen sprinting through the church parking lot before collapsing and remaining there for many minutes.
According to the lawsuit, video shows Chale’s car circling the area with no headlights on while the woman was on the ground. Around 4:15 a.m., a responding police officer’s body camera filmed Chale’s car in the vicinity.
According to the complaint, DNA profiling acquired during the sexual assault inquiry and a known sample received from Chale in an unrelated criminal sexual conduct investigation indicate a match.
Chale was taken into custody on Friday. He admitting to being in Minneapolis on May 15 and picking up two ladies who needed a ride home in an interview with police. He said that one of them got out of his car soon after getting in and that the other intended to visit her lover in St. Paul.
He said the woman puked in the backseat of his car, so he pulled over and assisted her to the front seat. According to the lawsuit, he acknowledged to caressing and kissing her but denied touching her private areas. According to the lawsuit, he stated that any of his DNA discovered on her would most likely be from her touching herself after touching him.
