Man accused of sneaking into Dilworth apartment, women's bed

MOORHEAD

Prosecutors have charged a Moorhead man with burglary after a woman reported waking up in her apartment and finding him lying next to her and rubbing her hip.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Andrew St. John, 24, who faces felony first-degree burglary and misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges in Clay County District Court.

The warrant states:

Police were dispatched to a Dilworth, Minn., apartment at 7:23 a.m. on Feb. 6 and found a visibly upset woman who said she woke up and found an unwanted man in her residence.

The woman told police she had been watching movies with her boyfriend when she fell asleep on the living room floor. She woke and found someone cuddling next to her with his hand under her shorts and underwear, rubbing her hip.

The woman thought it was her boyfriend, but turned to find St. John instead. She said she was shocked and stood up, asking what he was doing.

She fled the apartment and called police. The woman told police she had met St. John before and knew who he was, but had not given him permission to be in her apartment.

The woman's boyfriend told police he had gone back to his apartment about 6 a.m. to smoke a cigarette, leaving her door unlocked. His girlfriend came to his apartment about 6:30 a.m., and told him about St. John.

When interviewed by police, St. John said he knocked on the woman's door and she greeted him and invited him inside.

When asked further about the incident, St. John said he was not sure whether the woman let him into the apartment.

When asked again, he said he may have knocked on the door before opening it, but he did go inside without permission. St. John said he did not remember anything else about what happened, but said the woman's version of events made sense.

When specifically asked about putting his hand on her hip, St. John smiled and said he could not remember, which an officer noted was an unusual and inappropriate reaction.

If convicted, St. John faces up to 20 years for the burglary charge and 90 days for the disorderly conduct charge.

The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and the Herald are Forum Communications Co. newspapers.