A Rochester teenager was sentenced today for sexually assaulting a child.
According to court documents, 19-year-old Austin Anthony Russ was charged in April following a Rochester Police investigation that began when a woman reported that her young daughter had been sexually assaulted. According to the criminal complaint, the five-year-old girl told her parents she had been assaulted by Russell.
According to the charges, Russ’s parents approached him about the claims twice. According to the court documents, he originally denied abusing a young child before admitting to the claims.
According to the criminal complaint, Russ acknowledged sexually abusing the youngster twice in early April 2024.
He was charged with both first- and second-degree criminal sexual behavior. Russ pleaded guilty to a first-degree criminal sexual conduct charge in Olmsted County Court as part of a plea arrangement revealed in December.
He has now been sentenced to 12 years in prison, with credit for the 375 days he spent in custody. The sentencing order also requires him to register as a predatory offender, and he will be on probation for ten years after his release from prison.
