Minnesota – A Minnesota man was arrested and charged with first-degree criminaI se-uaI conduct following an assault on a 51-year-old woman who was walking on the evening of Oct. 28. Court documents and statements from the Sheriff’s Office say deputies took the suspect, 21-year-old T. Laritz, into custody after investigators developed evidence tying him to the assault.
Minnesota authorities responded to the area around 7:56 p.m. after someone reported a woman in distress. When officers arrived they found the victim with visible injuries, including cuts to her face and a bruise on her throat. The victim, who was not identified, told deputies that she had been grabbed from behind, forced off the sidewalk into a secluded area and se-ually assauIted her. The criminal complaint describes the attack as lasting at least 15 minutes and says the victim believed she was going to die during the assault.
Investigators reconstructed the scene through the victim’s description, physical evidence and forensic testing. The Sheriff’s Office said the victim knocked the attacker’s glasses off during the struggle and threw them into the grass. Those glasses were later recovered and became an important lead in the case. The sheriff’s office also sought public help and released details to the community as investigators worked to identify a suspect.
According to the victim, the attacker came up from behind, tackled the woman to the ground, and told her not to scream. She yelled to her friend on the phone to call 911 and fought back, grabbing his glasses and throwing them into the grass. He pressed his forearm against her neck, making it hard for her to breathe, and she believed she was going to die. He then se-ually assauIted her for nearly half an hour before walking away.
When questioned, he first denied involvement but later admitted to the assauIt. He told investigators he had been riding his bicycle, saw the woman walking alone, and decided to follow her. He told investigators that his stupid urges took control and admitted he fully r-ped the victim before riding home. He also told investigators that he was a virgin when he attacked her and that his impulses took over, leading him to se-ually assauIt her.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension assisted with rapid forensic testing. BCA lab results, combined with other evidence, pointed investigators to the man who was later arrested. Officials credited accelerated DNA testing and tips from the public with shortening the time between the assault and the arrest. Law-enforcement leaders said the crime lab moved quickly to prioritize the case given the violent nature of the assault.
After being taken into custody, the suspect spoke with investigators, and court filings quoted statements attributed to him during an interview. Prosecutors included those admissions in the criminal complaint as part of the factual narrative supporting the charge. The complaint and sheriff’s office releases describe the suspect as matching the physical description contained in witness tips and forensic findings.