MARSHALL COUNTY, MN (trfnews.i234.me) — A criminal case against a Middle River man, Calvin John Rybakowski, 50, was dismissed on Tuesday, Dec. 17, because the statute of limitations had expired. The case involved three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, filed in September, following allegations made by a young woman.
Court records state that Rybakowski was accused of sexually abusing the young woman on three occasions: in 2010, 2012, and 2014. A fourth incident reportedly occurred in 2016, during which the girl escaped. The allegations were initially reported to law enforcement in 2017 by the girl’s mother. However, the case did not proceed due to insufficient evidence.
In 2023, the young woman came forward again, a few days after Rybakowski’s arrest in a separate case involving similar allegations against another child. According to a motion filed by public defender Scott Collins on Dec. 2, the charges were barred by the statute of limitations. Minnesota law at the time required filing within nine years or three years from the date allegations were reported, provided the victim was under 18 at the time. Exceptions could be made if DNA evidence was available, but none was noted in this case.
Although the statute of limitations for such offenses was removed in 2021, this change only applies to crimes committed after that year. During the hearing, the charges against Rybakowski were officially dismissed.
Rybakowski faces a separate case involving more allegations of criminal sexual conduct, with an omnibus hearing scheduled for Jan. 28 at 9 a.m.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for trfnews.i234.me