A 15-year-old girl was taken late one night off an International Falls street by a stranger who then took her to his home and raped her, according to charges.
Cody Jay Austin Fremstad-Strong, 28, of International Falls, Minn., was charged in Koochiching County District Court last week with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the assault on July 17.
Fremstad-Strong was arrested Thursday and was released from jail after posting a $1,000 bond. He’s due in court on Sept. 17. Court records do not list an attorney for him. A message was left with Fremstad-Strong seeking a response to the allegations.
According to the criminal complaint:
The girl told county public health officials on Aug. 4 that Fremstad-Strong raped her in his apartment on July 17, and “the defendant was unknown to the victim,” the charges read.
She said she had been drinking with underage friends, got separated from them while walking home and sat on a street curb.
Fremstad-Strong approached the girl and said he would help her get home. Instead, he took her to his apartment in the 700 block of 5th Avenue and raped her.
Police viewed convenience store video that showed Fremstad-Strong walking the girl toward his apartment about 1:30 a.m. on July 17.
