A woman left a downtown St. Cloud bar, was taken to a nearby park in a car with five strangers and sexually assaulted by two of the men, according to charges.
Sahal A. Hassan, 24, and Abdirahin O. Ali, 21, both of St. Cloud, were charged in Stearns County District Court last week with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and aiding and abetting first-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the assaults one weekend night last month in Haws Park.
Ali and Hassan both remain jailed in lieu of $400,000 bail each. Contacted Tuesday by phone, Hassan's lawyer declined to comment about the case, while Ali's attorney has yet to respond to the allegations.
The other three suspects have yet to be arrested, according to the charges, which noted that the five men were strangers to her.
According to the criminal complaints:
The woman told police she was at the Pickled Loon on Oct. 17 for drinks with girlfriends and at some point went out the front door. Her next recollection was being in a car with five men who were grabbing at her and trying to kiss her over her objections.
The car quickly arrived at the park about a mile south of the bar. The suspects took her to the playground, where Hassan allegedly raped her. The group took her back to the car, where Ali sexually assaulted the woman.
The woman ran from the car and sought help at a nearby residence in the early hours of Oct. 18. Police arrived and took the woman to a hospital. Fresh scratches and a bruise were detected on her body.
