By Trey Mewes, Austin Daily Herald

AUSTIN — Former Brownsdale police chief Jason Mindrup was found guilty Thursday of sexually assaulting a woman he met in a Waltham bar last year.

A jury convicted Mindrup of second- and third-degree criminal sexual assault, but found him innocent of first-degree criminal sexual assault at about 4:30 p.m. Thursday after almost six hours of deliberation.

Mindrup will be sentenced on Feb. 6. He could face a presumptive sentence of 7 1/2 years for the second-degree charge and four years for the third-degree charge.

According to a court complaint, a woman accused Mindrup of sexually assaulting her in his truck after leaving a Waltham bar on Aug. 31, 2013. Mindrup allegedly denied those accusations and told investigators the woman asked to go to his house, but he instead drove the woman back to the bar where she had left her phone and purse.

Mindrup’s defense attorney, Paul Spyhalski, tried to convince jurors during his closing argument Thursday morning that the victim’s inconsistent testimony and other conflicting details concerning the victim’s time in the bar should weigh heavily in their decision. Prosecutors pointed out DNA testing showed Mindrup’s saliva on the victim’s breasts and Mindrup’s own inconsistent testimony, combined with the victim’s shock after she reported the crime to police that night, should make it clear he was guilty.

Mindrup was released under his previous conditions pending his sentence, but Mower County District Court Judge Jeff Kritzer expressed his concern that someone would threaten the victim while Mindrup was getting his affairs in order. Kritzer told Mindrup he would be held if the victim reported any repercussions because of Mindrup’s case.

Mindrup will also have to undergo a psychosexual evaluation as part of a pre-sentencing investigation.