One of Three Men Pleads Guilty in St. Cloud Park Sexual Assault

ST. CLOUD -- One of three men charged with raping a woman at a St. Cloud park last fall has pleaded guilty. Twenty-five-year-old Sahal Abdi Hassan pleaded guilty Friday to one count of aiding and abetting 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Two other men, 22-year-old Abdirahin Omar Ali and 23-year-old Mohamed Hassan Abdi are also charged in the case. Each has a hearing scheduled in March.

St. Cloud Police were called on a report of a sexual assault that occurred in the early morning hours of October 18th. The woman said she had been at a downtown St. Cloud bar and left through the front door. Court records show the next thing she remembered was being in a car with five Somali men who were talking in their native language, drinking liquor, trying to kiss her, and threatening her.

The woman said they stopped at a park and a man later identified as Hassan brought her to a slide and raped her as the other men encouraged it. The woman said she was brought back to the car and forced to perform oral sex on a man later identified as Ali.The victim was then dropped off at a location and sought help from a homeowner in the area and was brought to the hospital for a rape examination.

Court records show her pants were ripped, her underwear was partially off and wood chips from the park fell out of her pants.

DNA testing through the exam determined profiles matching Hassan and Ali. Abdi's DNA could not be ruled out from a mixture of sperm cell fractions collected during the examination.

Hassan will be sentenced on April 21st.