Ramsey County man accused of sexually assaulting woman: "She believed that she was going to die"
A 21-year-old man has been charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct in a sexual assault that happened in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota, on Tuesday evening, according to court records.
Ramsey County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the assault 1000 block of Pond View Court around 7:56 p.m. They met with a 51-year-old woman who had cuts on her face and a bruise on her throat, according to charges. She also had leaves in her hair and told deputies at the time that it hurt "too much to sit down."
The woman said she was walking on Centerville Road near Langer's Tree Service and using headphones to speak with a friend when a man, later identified as Tristen Alan Leritz, covered her mouth with his hand and "told her that he tripped and fell into her," court documents said. He allegedly then grabbed her and took her to the ground.
According to charges, the woman's headphones and phone fell into nearby grass. She fought Leritz, yelled out to her friend to call 911 and yelled for help. He allegedly pinched the woman's nose, covered her mouth and used his forearm to press down on her neck.
"She believed that she was going to die," charges said.
Leritz then sexually assaulted the woman, according to court documents. The woman said the assault lasted between 15 and 30 minutes and that she could not breathe at times.
According to court documents, the woman separated herself from Leritz when the assault stopped and started to run into the middle of Centerville Road. He "casually" walked toward her on the sidewalk and said, "I have to leave this way too," charges said.
Deputies found the woman's shoes, headphones, glasses and Leritz's glasses at the scene, according to court documents.
Officials said his missing glasses tipped off his family, who then notified the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office.
The woman went to the hospital where a nurse noticed several cuts and bruises around her body, charges said. The nurse also collected DNA that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension then analyzed and matched to Leritz.
BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said the agency raced to get the DNA results in near-record time.
"This ended up being a team of five people that had to work on this, pretty much full-time, to be able to get to this result in less than 24 hours," Evans said.
He admitted to assaulting the woman during an interview with investigators, according to charges, saying he saw her walking and then said, "F*** it, since I'm a virgin."
Leritz told investigators later in the interview that he "fully raped her," court documents said.
"You can't find a case that rattles the community more than a criminal sexual conduct with a stranger," Jeff Ramacher, undersheriff with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, said.
According to charges, Leritz is 6 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 248 pounds.
"This utterly senseless attack shocked an entire community with its brazen nature," Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a written statement on Friday.
Leritz's first court appearance is scheduled for Monday morning, the attorney's office said.
Sexual Assault Resources
- (SOS – Ramsey County)
- Sexual Violence Center (SVC – Hennepin County)
- Aurora Center (U of MN)
- 360 Communities (Dakota County)
- Hope Center (Rice County)
- Canvas Health (Washington County)
- Alexandra House (Anoka County)
General Sites for information related to sexual assault and resources throughout Minnesota:
General Sexual Assault Websites: