Spring Valley man convicted of February 2010 sex assault
Published 6:50 pm Saturday, September 15, 2012
A Spring Valley man charged in February 2010 for sexually assaulting a woman who suffers from mental disabilities is guilty of criminal sexual conduct.
Jesse Lyle Cleveland, 25, was sentenced Friday in Mower County Court to 90 days in jail, 50 hours of community service and 10 years’ supervised probation for fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct with a mentally impaired victim — a felony.
According to a court complaint, the assault happened Feb. 28, 2010. The woman told police she awoke to Cleveland — who she said was a casual acquaintance — rolling her onto her back in her bed. Although Cleveland had apparently called her that morning, the woman said she never invited him. Cleveland touched the woman in a sexual manner and forced her to have sexual intercourse with him, according to the complaint.
The woman received a sexual assault examination at Austin Medical Center, and DNA samples taken from the woman matched those taken both from her bedroom and from Cleveland.
Police confronted Cleveland about the DNA match and asked if he wanted to change his initial story. He said, “if anything happened it was consensual.”
He later said lied the first time he spoke with police. Cleveland said the woman had invited him over to “have some fun,” which he took as a sexual advance. He also told police the woman said she would “call rape” on him if he didn’t have sex with her, so he did.