Trucker Charged with Raping Teen in St. Cloud

ST. CLOUD -- A truck driver from Michigan is in jail after being charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl, most recently in St. Cloud.

34-year-old Kenneth Zehnder of Lexington, Michigan has been charged in Stearns County District court with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

A Minnesota State Trooper stopped Zehnder's westbound semi on I-94 on Monday afternoon after the girl sent a text to Otter Tail County dispatchers, saying she had been sexually assaulted.

The girl later told investigators she had been riding with Zehnder for about a week, and reports being sexually assaulted by Zehnder on multiple occasions, including most recently at a St Cloud area truck stop.

Zehnder was transferred from Otter Tail to Stearns County to face charges. He is currently jailed on $100,000 bond.

Paul Jurgens of KFGO contributed to this report