Teen sexually assaulted as many as 5 women on Twin Cities trail, according to charges

A Hopkins teenager has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting several women on a Twin Cities trail.

Jeremiah S. Ellis, 18, was charged Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court with three felony counts of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with assaults on the Cedar Lake Trail between Minneapolis and St. Louis Park.

While Ellis is charged with assaulting three women on the same day, court records allege he may have targeted at many as five women last fall.

Ellis was booked into jail Monday and released on his own recognizance Thursday afternoon. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 8.

The Star Tribune has reached out to his attorney for a response to the allegations.

According to the charges and a related filing:

A woman told police that during her runs on the trail, she has seen Ellis almost daily, usually sitting on a trail bench. During one such run, she said, he grabbed her buttocks, then rode off on an electric scooter.

On the same day, another woman told police, Ellis grabbed her hips from behind and thrust his groin into her. She said her screams sent him running.

Also that day, the third woman said Ellis grabbed her arms from behind and bear-hugged her. She said that as she pulled away, he punched her in the head.

“Police noted similar assaults [on Oct. 9 and 10] involving a male who matches [Ellis'] description,” the charges read.

The first of the women to go to police said she was running on the trail Monday and saw Ellis riding an electric scooter. She called police, who quickly arrested him.

Ellis told police that he slapped his initial accuser, saying “he was excited to hit [her] buttocks and then get away,” the criminal complaint read.

Police have collected clothing from his victims to test for DNA that Elllis might have left behind.