Man charged with detaining, sexually assaulting 15-year-old in St. Paul

A St. Paul man has been charged with detaining a teen in his apartment and sexually assaulting her for days.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office charged Sebastian Jenkins, 52, with first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct and false imprisonment on Monday. Jenkins reportedly kept the teen in his St. Paul apartment between Jan. 30 and Feb. 2, preventing her from leaving while sexually assaulting the teen at least a dozen times.

Another 15-year-old, who was reported missing, witnessed the assault — and prosecutors say Jenkins also coerced that teen into sex.

According to the charging documents and search warrants:

Officers were called Feb. 2 to Wendy’s on University Avenue West for reports of a potential kidnapping and sexual assault. There they met a 15-year-old girl who appeared “highly traumatized.” She had burn marks on her stomach and fresh slash marks on her right wrist, and told officers that she was kept captive and sexually assaulted.

The girl explained that she and another 15-year-old teen, identified as AN, ran away from a shelter program that provides supportive services for at-risk youth. The victim’s mother believes they left at around 10 p.m. on Jan. 30. The teens met Jenkins and another man at a gas station, and the men offered to party and get them high. The teens rode in the men’s car and smoked methamphetamine before going to Jenkins’ apartment.

They all had sex, the girl told police, before Jenkins pulled her aside and said, “I don’t think I want you guys to leave.” She responded “OK” because she did not think he was serious. The next day she said Jenkins got her and AN high with meth again before having sex with them, burning her with a lighter and meth bubbles during intercourse.

Although the girl tried to leave the apartment, Jenkins would not let her leave. She took Jenkins’ phone and tried messaging people for a ride but said that Jenkins found out and yelled at her. That’s when the girl said she cut herself with one of his kitchen knives. This “freaked him out” and prompted Jenkins to walk her out of his apartment. Surveillance video showed him walking out with both teens and returning with AN.

She then called her mother and told her she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted multiple times, and that AN was still in the apartment.

The first teen estimates that Jenkins sexually assaulted her a dozen times during the four days she was held captive in his apartment. She told police that sex would sometimes begin with her consent, but said Jenkins would refuse to stop when she told him to.

Officers went to Jenkins’ apartment within an hour of the teen’s escape. He refused to open the door without a warrant, and said he was the only occupant inside. Authorities entered after returning with a valid warrant, finding Jenkins inside with AN and numerous items that included a black and silver knife, four comforters and backpacks with personal items.

Jenkins was arrested, telling police that he met AN at a gas station and allowed her to stay because he had been homeless before. He admitted to being with a friend at the time, but claimed that he forgot their name. Authorities are still searching for that man. Jenkins denied using drugs or having sex with AN, adding that nobody else was in his apartment while the teen was there.

He asked for a lawyer after investigators pressed further about whether another girl was with AN at Jenkins’ apartment.

In her interview with police, AN confirmed that she and the other girl ran away from the shelter on Jan. 30 before meeting Jenkins and his friend. AN said she and the other teen were provided with meth, cocaine and alcohol while at the apartment, estimating that she had sex with Jenkins at least five times. She added that she was free to leave the apartment if she wanted to.

Jenkins’ criminal history in Minnesota includes misdemeanor convictions for domestic assault and possession of burglary tools. Prosecutors asked Judge Sophia Vuelo to set Jenkins’ bail at $60,000. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 28.

The sexual assault case is among those charged by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Other cases include a Blaine woman charged with sexually assaulting youth hockey teammates visiting from Colorado, and a St. Paul man charged with drugging and sexually assaulting victims he met on a dating app. Their court proceedings are expected to continue in the coming months.