Charges: Woman groped by man with glove near Univ. of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - A Minneapolis man is accused of forcefully groping a woman near the University of Minnesota campus early Tuesday afternoon. Joseph Leonard Jennings, 31, is charged with fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct for the Sept. 15 incident.

According to the charges, the victim was walking along Delaware Street SE when a man grabbed her between the legs. She turned around and yelled, “What the hell?” and saw the smirking man remove a black glove.

Investigators recovered video of the incident, which corroborated the victim’s story. Jennings was found one block away from the scene and told police he “tripped and fell” and that he only “brushed” her leg. Several times during the interview, Jennings told police “I am not a sexual predator.”

Police found a black glove in Jennings’ pocket, and noted that it was nearly 90 degrees that day. Jennings didn’t recall whether or not he was wearing the glove when he made contact with the victim.

Joseph Jennings has a criminal history that includes convictions for assault, burglary and DWI.