Top 10 Stories:  #5 - Rape on the Wobegon Trail
by Lee Voss, WJON.com

MELROSE -- A frightening incident on the Lake Wobegon Trail last July is story number five in our top 10 stories of 2009.

It was July 28th when a 14-year-old Melrose girl was riding her bike along the Lake Wobegon Trail. Just before 4:00 p.m. that afternoon, a 21-year-old Melrose man named Benjamin Delacruz Ajqui came upon the girl just outside the city limits.

Ajqui pushed the girl off her bike and forced her into the ditch. That's where Ajqui sexually assaulted the teen.

Another biker came along and scared Ajqui off.

Later, a Melrose police officer spotted Ajqui and got into a scuffle with him. Ajqui escaped and ran into a corn field. He was later found and arrested.

At a preliminary hearing, Ajqui surprisingly pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

He was sentenced to 12 years and prison and could be deported after serving his sentence because he was in the country illegally.

Coming up on Monday, we'll tell you about a long-awaited transportation project that finally got off the ground.