Jury selection in the trial of a man accused of brutally raping a woman in Winger, Minn., is set to begin today in Crookston. Patrick Bryan Scott Jr.'s case went to trial for four days in June but ended with a hung jury.
Scott, 22, faces seven felony charges, including first-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and first-degree assault. If convicted on all counts, he could receive a maximum of 150 years in prison. Scott has pleaded not guilty and told investigators the sex was consensual.
According to a criminal complaint:
A 24-year-old woman told investigators Scott followed her as she was walking alone in the early hours of Oct. 12, 2008. She was coming from the End of the Line Saloon in Winger, a town of about 200 in eastern Polk County, and was headed to her cousin's home nearby.
She noticed Scott behind her, and she started moving faster. She made it to the front door and knocked, trying to wake anybody she could.
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Scott "pulled her away from the door; she held onto the door handle as long as she could," the complaint reads. He dragged her off the porch 35 to 40 yards away to a wooded area where he raped her on the ground.
He punched her left temple whenever she resisted or made noise. "She tried to yell, but the male told her to be quiet or he would kill her," the complaint says. She said he did not use a condom and that she does not believe he ejaculated.
He zipped up his pants and started dragging her again. This time, roughly 650 feet toward the bar. When a vehicle drove by, he let go of her. She went to her cousin's home and called the authorities.
A deputy took photos of injuries on her left temple, back, neck and knees. At First Care Hospital in Fosston, Minn., she received a sexual-assault examination that found "a deep tear to her vagina," the complaint states.
Investigators found her red wallet and red lighter near a matted down area north of the residence. She later picked Scott out of a lineup of photographs.
A man who came to Winger with Scott and others told investigators the last time he saw Scott that night was when Scott was walking about 20 feet behind the victim. That man said Scott, of Crookston, stands 6-3 and weighs about 300 pounds.
When investigators interviewed Scott, he first told them he didn't remember going to Winger. He said he was drunk, puking in his acquaintance's car and could barely walk. But when investigators said evidence pointed to him committing a sexual assault, he acknowledged having sex with a woman wearing shorts.
"He was afraid to say anything because he did not want his girlfriend to find out," the complaint says.
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He said the woman, who he didn't know, approached him while he was puking and tried to talk to him. He said they went to a wooded area where they had consensual sex. In middle of having sex, he said, he thought of his girlfriend, felt bad and stopped.
They walked back to the bar holding hands and went their separate ways, Scott told investigators.
Scott has been held in the Crookston jail since Oct. 21, 2008. His bail is set at $250,000.
Prosecutor Scott Buhler said the trial could last until the end of next week. The victim testified at the last trial and is expected to do so again, he said.
A message left for Scott's court-appointed attorney was not returned Thursday.
Ingersoll reports on crime and courts. Reach him at (701) 780-1269; (800) 477-6572, ext. 269; or send e-mail to aingersoll@gfherald.com .
