After nearly 11 months in prison, Ricardo Alfredo Lobato Santos, 29, of Brazil, now residing in Grand Portage, has been acquitted. Santos had been charged with criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree and solicitation of a child to engage in sexual conduct.
According to the court complaint, the Cook County Sheriff ’s Department received a report on January 15, 2013 that a 14-year-old had told a trusted adult that Santos had touched her inappropriately.
Santos was taken into custody on January 25, 2013. He applied for and was appointed a public defender, Joe Eichenwald. Bail was set at $50,000.
Eichenwald requested supervised release on February 13, 2013, which was denied, as was a pre-trial supervised release request on September 30, 2013.
On November 5, 2013, a request for change of venue was requested and proceedings were moved to the St. Louis County court in Duluth. A four-day jury trial began on November 20. On November 25, the jury of 12 from St. Louis County acquitted Santos and he was released.
Cook County Assistant County Attorney Molly Hicken said the acquittal means that Santos will have no probation conditions and no criminal record.
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