St. Peter man gets a year for sex assault

Jan. 28—ST. PETER — A St. Peter man who says he does not remember raping a woman was sentenced to a year in jail over the next six years.

Joseph Arthur Wilson, 31, pleaded guilty to felony criminal sexual conduct in December and was sentenced this week in Nicollet County District Court.

A woman reported in 2019 Wilson sexually assaulted her multiple times after a night of drinking in a St. Peter apartment, court documents say. The woman said she initially tried to stop Wilson and she later passed out and awoke to find Wilson raping her again.

Wilson denied having any sexual contact with the woman but DNA evidence proved otherwise, the charges said.

Wilson went on to enter a Norgaard plea, indicating he cannot remember the incident and does not admit guilt but concedes a conviction would have been likely.

He was sentenced Tuesday to a total of one year in jail to be served in two-month increments each year through 2027. He can leave jail to go to work or do the 150 hours of community service he is required to complete.

Wilson also will spend 15 years on probation and must register as a predatory offender and complete sex offender treatment. He also was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine, minus his treatment costs.