Police: Sauk Rapids group home worker sexually assaulted 2 residents

A St. Cloud man was arrested this weekend and has been charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct after he was accused of sexual contact with two 20-year-old women who are autistic and non-verbal.

Patrick Arthur Jansen, 58, an overnight employee at a group home in Sauk Rapids,  is charged with four counts of criminal sexual conduct. 

On Dec. 1, a supervisor of the group home reported seeing Jansen sexually assaulting a female in the residence, according to court documents. The supervisor found Jansen in an upstairs bedroom with the first victim and then later on a mattress in the living room, according to court documents. 

Jansen admitted during an interview with a Sauk Rapids police officer that the victims performed oral sex on him, court documents show. He also said he touched both women's breasts under their shirts and did not know how many times he removed his pants in front of the victims, according to the Statement of Probable Cause. 

Jansen told the officer he knew the residents were considered vulnerable adults, but he did not believe what he did was not wrong. 

"I never caused them any harm," Jansen reportedly told police. "It was only meant to make them happy, enrich their lives too, like somebody can't experience romance their whole life." 

Upon arriving at the group home, officers found one victim feeding Jansen ice cream, and it appeared that Jansen and the victim were sharing the same spoon. The witness said both victims were supposed to be in bed by the time Jansen started his shift.

Jansen said in the last three to four weeks he had become more intimate with the victims. 

"Anytime I have touched them, it's been in a friendly way to make them feel happy and loved," Jansen said. 

Jansen is charged in Benton County Court with two counts of third-degree sexual assault for engaging in sexual penetration with a "mentally impaired, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless" person, according to court documents. Each charge has a maximum sentence of 15 years and/or $30,000 . 

Jansen is also charged with two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault for sexual contact. Each charge has a maximum sentence of 10 years and/or $20,000. 

Jansen is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 26.