Minnesota prison guard charged with felony sex assault

A state corrections department employee is facing charges after authorities said he sexually assaulted an inmate.

Mug shot of a white man with short, graying hair and short beard.
Randy Allen Beehler
Courtesy Dakota County Jail

Prosecutors in Dakota County said on Sept. 30, 53-year-old Randy Allen Beehler of Foley was transporting a jail inmate from Rochester to Minneapolis.

According to the criminal complaint, Beehler stopped at a McDonald's drive-thru in Cannon Falls and bought food for himself and the alleged victim.

He then uncuffed her and allowed her to sit in the front seat. Authorities say the illegal contact occurred while Beehler was driving.

Beehler is charged with two felony counts of criminal sexual conduct.

Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell says the department's immediate concern is for the alleged victim, and the actions outlined in the complaint are contrary to the department's values.

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