BRAINERD, MN (trfnews.i234.me) – A 48-year-old Ham Lake man faces multiple charges of criminal sexual conduct, including incest, involving his daughter and her roommate in Crow Wing County District Court. Clifford Robert Letourneau III is charged with felony incest and felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct with someone who is mentally impaired or physically helpless.
The state has appealed the dismissal of charges of felony first-degree criminal sexual conduct with use of force on January 26, 2024. The case will now proceed to the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Law enforcement received a report from the Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center regarding alleged sexual abuse occurring at a residence in Brainerd involving Letourneau and his adult daughter as well as her roommate. According to the criminal complaint, phone contact was made with the reporting party who identified herself as the mother of the roommate.
The 19-year-old victim’s mother reported that Letourneau began traveling from Ham Lake to Brainerd in September 2022 and had started a sexual relationship with her daughter, which led to allegations of incest. The complaint also states that Letourneau sexually assaulted the roommate during his visits.
The victim’s mother described her daughter as mentally impaired, operating at the level of a 10-to-12-year-old child. The alleged sexual acts were reportedly nonconsensual by the roommate who feared for her safety due to Letourneau’s size and strength.
Letourneau was arrested on March 3, 2023, at the Brainerd residence where he admitted to having consensual sexual intercourse with both victims. However, the criminal complaint states that Letourneau has a history of other criminal sexual conduct cases, previous civil commitments as a dangerous sexual offender, and is registered as a predatory offender.
Letourneau remains in custody at Crow Wing County Jail with bail/bond without conditions set at $750,000. His next court date is scheduled for August 5, 2024, in Crow Wing County District Court.