Inset: Tristen Alan Leritz (Ramsey County Sheriff”s Office). Background: Intersection of Centerville Road and Pond View Court in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota, where Leritz allegedly raped a woman (Google Maps).
In a disturbing incident in Minnesota, a man succumbed to what he described as “stupid urges,” resulting in a sexual assault that left a woman fearing for her life. The accused, Tristen Alan Leritz, 21, faces charges of criminal sexual conduct following the attack on a 51-year-old woman during her evening walk.
As detailed in a probable cause affidavit from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, the victim was speaking with a friend on the phone around 8 p.m. on October 28. She was walking along Pond View Court in Vadnais Heights, a suburb of Minneapolis, when she was suddenly ambushed.
The assailant approached her from behind, tackling her to the ground and instructing her to remain silent.
“She shouted to her friend over the phone to call 911,” the report noted. “Despite her struggles, the man overpowered her. She managed to grab his glasses and fling them into nearby grass, all while desperately calling for help as passing cars did not stop.”
The victim described her attacker as a larger individual, who used his size to subdue her.
“She found it difficult to breathe,” the affidavit explained. “The man pressed his forearm against her neck, leaving her with the harrowing belief that her life was in imminent danger.”
He then proceeded to sexually assault her for 15 to 30 minutes, per police. After the assault was over, the suspect “casually” walked away, cops said. She ran to a nearby home for help. When deputies arrived, she had leaves stuck in her hair and her hands were shaking. She had a red abrasion across her throat and cuts on her face.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension analyzed DNA and came up with a match for Leritz. After hearing about the glasses the victim knocked off during the assault, Leritz’s family also alerted cops, according to local CBS affiliate WCCO.
After receiving his Miranda rights, Leritz at first denied assaulting the woman. But when confronted with all the evidence, he eventually admitted to his actions, cops said. He said he was riding his bicycle when he spotted the woman walking alone, cops wrote. Leritz allegedly said he thought to himself “F— it, since I’m a virgin.”
He watched her for about five minutes and then waited for her to pass him. When she did, the 6-foot-8-inch, 248-pound man pounced on her, according to deputies. He allegedly said “it escalated from there … my stupid urges took control.” Leritz said he “fully raped her,” the affidavit stated.
When he was done, he rode his bicycle home.
Leritz has a previous conviction for theft of a motor vehicle and has a pending charge for robbery, cops say. He’s currently in the Ramsey County Jail. His next court date is scheduled for Nov. 25.
