A Mounds View man who worked the overnight shift at a group home is accused of sexually assaulting an adult resident with the mental capacity of a 6-year-old, authorities say.
Lawrence Nyakundi Mokaya, 41, was charged Wednesday with one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to the criminal complaint filed against him in Ramsey County District Court.
The charge alleges that Mokaya’s actions caused personal injury to the 24-year-old woman.
A therapist at the Shoreview-based group home became aware of the matter as she read a story to the woman about a father hugging his son last Thursday, charges say.
“Lawrence does that to me,” the woman told the therapist, according to the criminal complaint.
Concerned, the therapist started asking the woman more questions about her interactions with Mokaya and learned that he also kissed the resident, groped her body and digitally penetrated her, charges say.
The therapist reported the allegations to police, who arranged for the resident to meet with authorities at the Midwest Children’s Resource Center this past Monday.
During her forensic interview, the resident repeated to a nurse what Mokaya had done to her, describing how he allegedly came into her room in the middle of the night, removed articles of both of their clothing, and then sexually assaulted her, the complaint said.
The resident said the conduct was painful and that she would tell Mokaya to stop, but that he continued it anyway, authorities say.
Authorities arrested Mokaya this past Monday and questioned him about the allegations.
While he acknowledged having contact with Mokaya during his overnight shifts, he said he never touched her.
He later volunteered to provide a sample of his DNA for authorities to test with the caveat that some of his DNA might be found on the resident’s sheets because he conducts bed checks as a part of his job.
Another employee at the group home told authorities that the woman in the case was “incapable of lying” about what had happened.
He also told law enforcement that he noticed blood in the woman’s bathroom the morning of Oct. 25 even though the resident was not menstruating at the time.
Mokaya, who has no criminal record in Minnesota, has been employed at the group home since April of 2016.
The name of the group home was not disclosed in the criminal complaint.
Mokaya remained in custody at the Ramsey County Jail as of Wednesday afternoon. No attorney was listed for him in court records.
His next hearing is scheduled to take place Nov. 15.