ROCHESTER — A longtime area sex offender faces new rape charges in Olmsted County Court.
Merwin Coleman, 37, is accused of taking an intoxicated, sleeping woman off the sidewalk, putting her in his car, and raping her before dropping her off at a convenience store.
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He is charged with third- and fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Coleman was previously convicted of the third-degree rape of a Stewartville woman in her own home. The assault happened in 2018, and Coleman was convicted in 2021.
Early Thursday morning, Rochester police spoke with a woman who said she'd been at a downtown bar the previous night.
According to the woman, after 2 a.m., she left the bar and sat on a bench at Fourth Street South and Broadway Avenue.
The woman intended to ask a bartender she knew for a ride, but stayed on the bench until about 4 a.m. and eventually fell asleep.
When the woman woke up, a man was placing her in a car.
After leaving the area, the man raped the woman, put his number in her phone, and dropped her off at Fourth Street and Fourth Avenue Southeast.
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The woman's friends drove her to Saint Marys Hospital for an examination. The alleged rapist called her multiple times.
Rochester police searched the number, found it belongs to Coleman, and determined that Coleman's gray Volkswagen may have dropped the woman off at the Fourth Street convenience store around 5 a.m.
Coleman, who is GPS monitored, was also at the Broadway intersection at 4:30 a.m. and at the convenience store at 4:52 a.m., according to court documents.
The Olmsted County attorney's office noted that it will seek an aggravated, or harsher-than-average sentence, based on Coleman's previous conviction.
Those experiencing sexual exploitation can call a 24-hour crisis line at 507-289-0636 to speak to someone who can direct you towards help.