13-Year-Old Sexually Assaulted Girl, 5, At St. Paul Bus Stop: Police

ST. PAUL, MN — The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office on Friday filed a delinquency petition against a man in connection with the sexual assault of a 5-year-old child who was waiting for her school bus on the morning of May 2, 2016, in St. Paul.

The man was 13 when the crime occurred, police said. The petition against him includes one count of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree and one count of kidnapping.

Because the man was 13 when the crime occurred, the petition and the court proceedings cannot be made public under state law. Children under 14 in Minnesota cannot face a traditional criminal charge, only a delinquency petition.

Filing a delinquency petition, however, does allow the court to order the man to register as a sex offender for life.

"We are grateful for the diligent work of the Saint Paul Police Department for pursuing every lead, including the DNA evidence that led to this individual," Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a statement. "I especially want to call out the work of my staff attorneys who worked closely with police investigators every step of the way and were able to bring forward the delinquency petition to seek accountability to the fullest extent of the law, and closure for our victim and community."