Windom man accused of raping snowmobile companion

A Windom man is accused of raping a companion after an afternoon of snowmobiling.

Joseph Charles Rummens, 27, was charged in Cottonwood County Court with first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

A criminal complaint says Rummens and the 24-year-old victim went snowmobiling together one January afternoon and she invited him to her apartment later that evening.  The two played cards and drank Mike’s Hard Lemonade, says the complaint.

The woman went to her bedroom around 10:30 p.m. feeling “buzzed,” according to the charging document, and Rummens followed.  Rummers allegedly began to touch and kiss the woman’s body, which she told investigators she tried to stop.

Rummens allegedly sexually assaulted the woman before straddling her and pulling off her clothes.  The complaint says the woman cried and tried to push Rummens off, but he outweighed her by 100 pounds.

Court documents say the woman asked Rummens to “at least put a condom on,” which he pretended to do.  The victim told investigators she tried to crawl away from Rummens when she realized this, but he pulled her back to him by the ankles.

The victim told investigators she told Rummens “no” 30 to 40 times during the alleged assault.  The victim said she is scared of Rummens because there is a history of violence between them.

Rummens has given her a concussion and choked her in the past, the victim told police in a follow-up interview.

The complaint says the victim has had increased suicidal thoughts and depression since the incident.  She has been on mental health hold for observation and told investigators she moved her bedroom to another room since the incident, says the complaint.