St. Cloud Man Sentenced for Raping Woman at a Park

ST. CLOUD -- One of three men accused of raping a woman at a St. Cloud park last fall has been sentenced for his role in the attack.

A Stearns County judge has sentenced 25-year-old Sahal Abdi Hassan to 15 years in prison. After his prison term, Hassan must also register as a predatory offender and be on probation for 10 more years. He pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct in February.

Two other men, 22-year-old Abdirahin Omar Ali and 23-year-old Mohamed Hassan Abdi are also charged in the case.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 was 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.

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.