Blaine man admits tainting woman’s coffee with semen

A Blaine man, accused of putting his semen into a co-worker’s coffee, pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of engaging in lewd or indecent behavior. John Robert Lind was originally charged with fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct and fifth-degree attempted criminal sexual conduct after he was caught Aug. 26 - Lind’s 34th birthday - standing at his co-worker’s desk with both hands in front of him near his genitals, according to a criminal complaint. The original charges against Lind were dismissed in November by Ramsey County District Judge Patrick Diamond, who said the crime required nonconsensual touching of the victim’s intimate parts. The city of New Brighton then charged Lind with a misdemeanor charge of engaging in lewd or indecent behavior in her workspace at the Beisswengers hardware store in New Brighton. Lind accepted responsibility for his conduct to investigators from the beginning, his attorney Mark Kelly said. “After that he was accused of violating statutes he didn’t violate, so he defended those allegations,” Kelly said. “Today he entered a guilty plea to a statute he did violate.” The incident was a factor in the introduction of a bill in the Minnesota House that would make it a crime to add blood, semen, saliva or other substances into something a person is going to eat or drink. Under the bill - debated in late March, but sent back to committee - placing bodily fluids in a substance intended for human consumption would be a misdemeanor. It would become a felony if someone ingests it without knowledge of the adulteration, with escalating penalties if it’s done for sexual gratification or if the victim is a child. Lind is scheduled for sentencing May 22.
A Blaine man, accused of putting his semen into a co-worker’s coffee, pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of engaging in lewd or indecent behavior.John Robert Lind was originally charged with fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct and fifth-degree attempted criminal sexual conduct after he was caught Aug. 26 - Lind’s 34th birthday - standing at his co-worker’s desk with both hands in front of him near his genitals, according to a criminal complaint.The original charges against Lind were dismissed in November by Ramsey County District Judge Patrick Diamond, who said the crime required nonconsensual touching of the victim’s intimate parts.The city of New Brighton then charged Lind with a misdemeanor charge of engaging in lewd or indecent behavior in her workspace at the Beisswengers hardware store in New Brighton.Lind accepted responsibility for his conduct to investigators from the beginning, his attorney Mark Kelly said.“After that he was accused of violating statutes he didn’t violate, so he defended those allegations,” Kelly said. “Today he entered a guilty plea to a statute he did violate.”The incident was a factor in the introduction of a bill in the Minnesota House that would make it a crime to add blood, semen, saliva or other substances into something a person is going to eat or drink.Under the bill - debated in late March, but sent back to committee - placing bodily fluids in a substance intended for human consumption would be a misdemeanor.It would become a felony if someone ingests it without knowledge of the adulteration, with escalating penalties if it’s done for sexual gratification or if the victim is a child.Lind is scheduled for sentencing May 22.