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Crime & Safety

Oakdale Group Home Caregiver Charged with Sex Crime

Man had been working at home for six weeks.

A St. Paul man is charged with criminal sexual abuse for allegedly groping a woman living in an Oakdale group home for adults with developmental disabilities while he was employed there as a personal care provider.

Jude A. Okafor, 41, allegedly kissed and molested a 20-year-old resident at the home, operated by MDM Rubicon, in October of last year, according to the Washington County District Court complaint.

Okafor had been working at the home for six weeks at the time of the incident and as soon as the alleged incident was reported, he was denied access to all residents in the company’s homes, according to a statement by spokesman Joel Westfield.

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He had passed a State of Minnesota background study, which revealed no criminal history or other disqualifications from working unsupervised with adults with disabilities, the statement says.

According to the complaint, Okafor went into the woman’s room around 2 p.m. Oct. 14 and kissed her on the cheek while she was sleeping. A couple of hours later that day he kissed her again, and then a few hours after that he went into her room and allegedly kissed and molested her, according to the complaint.

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The woman then called her mother and the Oakdale Police Department, and she was taken to Woodwinds Hospital where DNA swabs were taken from her body, the complaint says.

The DNA sample found on the woman was consistent with Okafor’s DNA, the complaint says.

In an interview with police, Okafor denied any sexual or intimate contact with the woman, according to the complaint.

Okafor faces one charge of criminal sexual abuse by a caregiver of a vulnerable adult, which has a maximum sentence of one year in prison and $3,000 in fines; and one charge of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, which has a maximum sentence of one year in prison and $3,000 in fines.

Okafor is scheduled to make his first appearance in court March 28.

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