ALBERTVILLE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Hennepin County sheriff’s deputy has been placed on administrative leave after being charged with felony criminal sexual conduct in connection with an alleged off-duty assault in Albertville.
Jared Sprunk, 33, of St. Michael, is facing one count each of third-degree and fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct for an alleged incident on March 1.
"Our office supports a full and transparent investigation into the alleged off-duty conduct by this HCSO deputy. That deputy has now been put on administrative leave pending the external investigation," said a Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.
Wright County charges
The backstory:
According to the criminal complaint filed on March 3, Wright County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence for a report of a sexual assault. When they arrived, they found Sprunk outside bleeding from his nose and the back of his head and appearing "highly intoxicated."
The woman told deputies she had been out with friends at a bar in Albertville when she met Sprunk. Although they initially parted ways, she later invited him to a friend’s house, so the group could continue socializing.
After an incident in the kitchen, the woman told a friend that he needed to leave, but decided she didn’t want him to drive home given his level of intoxication. She and her friends helped Sprunk into a bedroom downstairs so he could "sleep it off," according to the complaint.
The complaint alleges Sprunk closed the bedroom door while the woman was still inside. A friend later checked on her, and she said she was "okay." After the friend left, the woman told deputies the assault occurred.
She reported she was eventually able to push Sprunk away and tried to leave but could not find the doorknob in the dark. She began "screaming for help while pounding the door." Sprunk allegedly got out of bed and attempted to grab her before friends heard the commotion and entered the room. She ran out while they confronted him, according to the complaint.
Another man at the residence, identified as T.A., told deputies he escorted Sprunk upstairs and pushed him, eventually hitting him after Sprunk allegedly came at him.
When questioned the following morning, Sprunk told investigators he had become "heavily intoxicated and did not remember any of the details from the night before," the complaint read. However, after a detective explained the allegations, he reportedly became upset and denied that anything had happened, despite saying he could not recall the events.
What's next:
Sprunk made his first appearance in court on March 1, with the next one scheduled for early May.
The Source: This story uses information from a Wright County criminal complaint and a statement from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.