A resident of a group home in Richfield has been charged with sexually assaulting a female attendant, the Hennepin County attorney's office said on Thursday.

Authorities said Adrian Wesley, 25, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of sexually assaulting the woman at the Upton House, a four-bed facility at 7720 S. Upton Av. for "deaf people with developmental disabilities and mental illness," according to its website.

Wesley was charged Thursday in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree criminal sexual conduct. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $35,000.

Richfield police said they were called to the group home on Sunday afternoon in response to a disturbance. When they arrived, they found the alleged victim at a neighbor's house, to which she had fled after the alleged assault.

Investigators believe that Wesley pulled the woman into his room, after she walked by to check on him and forced her onto his bed before assaulting her. The alleged victim later told police that he insinuated in sign language that he had a knife, pointing to a dresser in the room, and threatened to kill her, according to court filings.

Police say the woman managed to wriggle free from under Wesley's 300-pound frame and ran to a house across the street, where she called 911.

Libor Jany • 612-673-4064 Twitter: @StribJany