Austin man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting 15-year-old receives probation
(ABC 6 News) – UPDATE: An Austin man was sentenced to 10 years’ probation after pleading guilty to one of eight criminal sexual conduct charges in Mower County Court.
Kevin Alexander Morgan-Price, 21, agreed in his plea deal to plead guilty to 3rd-degree criminal sexual conduct–victim under 16 and not contest an extended harassment restraining order from the alleged victim in exchange for the dismissal of another 7 criminal sexual conduct charges, including two charges each of 1st- and 2nd-degree criminal sexual conduct–personal injury.
Morgan-Price was sentenced Thursday, Oct. 5, to spend 10 years on supervised probation, with no contact with his victim, and no unsupervised contact with juveniles unless approved by his probation officer.
He was also ordered to register as a predatory offender and complete sex offender treatment.
If Morgan-Price does not adhere to the terms of his probation, he could be re-sentenced to 3 years in the MN Correctional Facility in St. Cloud, with credit for 724 days previously spent in Mower County Jail.
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(ABC 6 News) – An Austin man appeared in Mower County Court on eight charges of criminal sexual conduct after allegedly raping a juvenile in the summer of 2021.
According to court records, a 15-year-old girl told law enforcement that she met then-19-year-old Kevin Alexander Morgan-Price in Pine Island in June of 2021.
According to the juvenile, Morgan-Price invited her to Rochester, but the two and another individual, who drove the two, went instead to Austin.
According to court documents, the alleged victim’s mother reported her as a runaway the following day.
The 15-year-old told law enforcement that she bought a phone charger while in Austin, but that Morgan-Price took her phone and put it in his pocket, then led her to a wooded area where the two smoked.
The girl told law enforcement she believed Morgan-Price gave her different drugs than she was told, and that she woke up to Morgan-Price sexually assaulting her.
Court documents allege use of force.
According to court records, the juvenile told police that when Morgan-Price left her alone, she recovered her phone, then ran away and hid from him for 8-10 hours, until she called a friend who encouraged her to contact law enforcement.
Morgan-Price was arrested in late June and has been kept on 100,000 bail at the Mower County Jail for nearly two years, following multiple requests to delay his case in court.
He faces two charges of 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct–victim physically helpless and use of force; two charges of 2nd-degree criminal sexual conduct—victim physically helpless and use of force; three charges of 3rd-degree criminal sexual conduct—victim under 16, victim physically helpless and use of force; and one charge of 4th-degree criminal sexual conduct–victim 13-15.
Morgan-Price’s pretrial is scheduled for June 22, with a jury trial scheduled for July 10.