Rochester man given more than 12 years for raping, impregnating juvenile

John Molseed, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read
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Apr. 10—ROCHESTER — A Rochester man who raped and impregnated a juvenile was sentenced to 12 and-a-half years in prison Wednesday, despite the teen's request he be given probation.

Rafael Earl Steele, 38, called his crime "heinous" when asking for the same leniency in a sentencing hearing in Olmsted County District Court on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Steele acknowledged his actions changed the lives of the teen and the child born as a result of the assault.

"Now they have to hide who they are for the rest of their life," Steele said of the child born in 2022.

Steele pleaded guilty in January to felony first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Steele was charged after a 15-year-old girl gave birth in 2022 to a premature baby who had several health problems.

According to the criminal complaint, in order to better identify the health problems, Mayo Clinic doctors ordered genetic testing. A search warrant to conduct paternity testing showed a 99.99% probability Steele was the father of the child.

In pronouncing the sentence, District Court Judge Kathy M. Wallace said she had to weigh the wishes expressed in the juvenile's victim impact statement against the severity of the crime. Wallace said the pregnancy added to the severity of the crime, which state sentencing guidelines call for a prison term of 12 years to more than 14 years in prison.

Wallace said Steele was not particularly amenable to probation, in part, because he has been inconsistent in taking responsibility for his actions.

"You've been all over the board," she said.

Wallace referenced a statement Steele made in an interview with evaluators before sentencing in which he said he didn't know if had actually committed the crime but said he must have because "there's a damn baby" as a result.

Steele said he was trying to take responsibility for his actions.

"I never meant to put any blame or any harm to (the teen)," he said. "I never meant for anyone to end up in this situation."

Steele was ordered to serve 100 months in custody and would be eligible to serve 50 months of the sentence under supervised release.