Public safety briefs: Maple Grove man charged with raping 14-year-old who worked for him at McDonald's

Andrew Otero Albertorio, 24, of Maple Grove, was charged last week in Hennepin County District Court with five counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and remains jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail.

An employee at the McDonald's, located near Bass Lake Road and Interstate 494, said Tuesday that Albertorio no longer works there.

According to the charges, he raped the girl in early December after cornering her in the walk-in cooler. For the following month, Albertorio raped the teen in various other locations, including his home, charges said.

The counts against Albertorio point to the girl's young age and his position of authority over her. Prosecutors have said that they will seek an especially long sentence should they win a conviction.

A message was left with Albertorio's attorney seeking a response to the charges. Albertorio is due back in court on Feb. 22.

PAUL WALSH

A St. Paul man repeatedly choked and abused his girlfriend's children, leading to the death of a 3-year-old boy last week, according to charges.

The boy's 6-year-old brother told police that the toddler became ill on the evening of Jan. 14 and vomited. He said that Butts choked his mother and all three children in the family, and stomped on the toddler with his feet.

An autopsy showed that the toddler suffered from multiple traumatic injuries including generalized brain swelling and a perforation in the small intestine.

CHAO XIONG

A Minnesotan attending college out west is the second skier to have died from an avalanche last week in northern New Mexico.

Corey Borg-Massanari, 22, a 2015 graduate of Brainerd High School, was caught in an avalanche on Thursday at a ski resort in Taos, N.M., according to an organ donor organization.

Taos Ski Valley personnel have said the avalanche within ski-area boundaries took place despite a series of precautions earlier the day that included the detonation of explosives to trigger any potential snowslides before skiers could take to the slopes.