Ostebo gets 10 years for sex assault

The mother of a 2-year-old girl who was molested by the owner of a plumbing company told a Ramsey County judge Thursday that she lies awake at night thinking about the attack in the family's St. Paul home.

"He used his profession to gain access to vulnerable victims," the woman said. "Victims too young to talk."

Randall Ostebo, 53, of St. Paul, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for molesting the 2-year-old. District Court Judge George Stephenson also sentenced Ostebo to five years in prison for molesting a female relative more than two decades ago. The prison terms will be served concurrently.

Ostebo pleaded guilty in April to two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and will be required to register as a predatory offender for the rest of his life.

Prosecutor Yasmin Mullings told Stephenson that the case is "the court system's worst nightmare." Ostebo was convicted in 1991 of second-degree criminal sexual conduct for making an 11-year-old girl touch his penis. He was sentenced to 20 years of probation in that case, but was discharged early from probation in 2003 and his conviction was converted to a misdemeanor.

"He managed to fool all the professionals," Mullings said.

Ostebo's victims were identified after his family members told police in December that he had confessed to sexual assaults committed over more than two decades, including playing sexual games with a 7-year-old girl who was staying at his home in 1990, according to the criminal complaint. He also told police that he made the 2-year-old girl touch his penis when he asked her mother to go to the basement while he was working at their house.

As part of his plea agreement, Ostebo won't be prosecuted for any other alleged incidents of sexual misconduct that were disclosed to police.

Ostebo said he was "profoundly sorry" for his behavior and acknowledged that he had hurt "a lot of people."

"The people that I've affected will be affected for the rest of their life," Ostebo said.

Lora Pabst • 612-916-7212