A Stearns County judge has sentenced a 22-year-old St. Cloud man to 7½ years in prison for raping two women in 2020.
Joseph S. Vogel was charged with two felony counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in October 2020 after two women said Vogel had raped them while they were dating him. The assaults happened in August and October of 2020.
Vogel was found incompetent to stand trial in October 2020 but ruled competent to proceed in August. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in September but amended his plea Feb. 1 in a plea deal that dismissed felony counts of animal cruelty and threats of violence, and a misdemeanor count of domestic assault.
According to court documents, Vogel admitted to slashing a dog's throat with a butcher knife because it had killed two cats, after which he allegedly threatened one of the women by pinning her against a wall and pretending to slit her throat.
As part of his plea deal, District Judge Laura Moehrle sentenced Vogel on Tuesday to 90 months in prison with credit for 436 days served.
Vogel must also register as a predatory offender and is subject to a mandatory extended supervision for 10 years.
