Prosecutors have filed criminal charges in a sixth case involving Jory D. Wiebrand, a suspected serial rapist who police say for years preyed on women in Minneapolis' Marcy-Holmes neighborhood and Anoka County.
In the latest charges, filed Thursday, prosecutors allege that Wiebrand, 34, sexually assaulted a woman on Feb. 8, 2019, near a bus stop in the 600 block of SE. 8th Street. The woman told police she noticed Wiebrand walking toward her, but "didn't want to be judgmental, so she looked away," before he grabbed her from behind and dragged her into a nearby wooded area, while holding his hand over her mouth, then threw her on the ground and groped her over her clothing. He fled when a neighbor came outside, according to a criminal complaint signed by Minneapolis police Sgt. Matt Wente.
Police say that Wiebrand's DNA was found on a bloody napkin that the victim had used to clean her wounds after the attack, as well as on the victim's clothing.
Wiebrand was first charged last month in two cases from last summer, when the Ham Lake man allegedly broke in through windows and assaulted women in their homes. He was later charged with three other cases, including the suspected rape of Brooke Morath. Morath's story was featured in the Star Tribune's 2018 "Denied Justice" series, which documented systemic failures in the criminal justice system's handling of sexual assault cases.
Wiebrand made his first court appearance last month.
The most recent case charges him with first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping. He remains in the Hennepin County jail, awaiting his next court date.
Bail amounts range from $30,000 to $2 million for each of the five cases against him.
No attorney was listed for the most recent charge.
