Judge to decide fate of skate park owner accused of sex crimes

A Hennepin County District court judge is expected to issue a ruling Thursday to determine if a Golden Valley man is guilty of inappropriately touching and showing pornography to teenage boys.

Wayne L. Cummings Jr., 31, is charged with five felony counts, including soliciting children to engage in sexual conduct, criminal sexual conduct, and solicitation of a minor.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County, Cummings owned the Showcase Skate Park in Rogers from December 2007 to October 2008. During that time, he allegedly had young boys sit on his lap, hugged them for extended periods of time, rubbed their shoulders, touched their thighs and talked about sex with them, according to the complaint.

Witnesses told police Cummings would also sleep next to the teenagers when they slept over at the skate park. They told police Cummings grabbed one boy's groin, touched other boys' nipples, and showed others pornography on the skate park's computer.

Cummings had been scheduled for a jury trial to begin this week, but he agreed to let District Court Judge Marilyn B. Rosenbaum review his case, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.

He's being held at the Hennepin County Jail on $150,000 bail. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison or a $20,000 fine, or both.