Convicted sex offender faces new felony charge

Published 9:20 am Friday, June 18, 2010

A 21-year-old Albert Lea man convicted in two prior cases of criminal sexual conduct with minors — who was charged earlier this month with a third, more serious criminal sexual conduct charge — now faces a new charge for a separate alleged offense.

According to court records, Lorenzo Martin Torres faces one new felony count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, including sexual penetration, with a 13-year-old girl.

This is his fourth alleged victim. The complaint was e-filed Tuesday.

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Court records state the offense allegedly occurred in February at the America’s Best Value Inn in Albert Lea.

According to court documents, the 13-year-old girl and her mother had rented a room at the hotel from Feb. 7 through 13.

On one day during that span, the girl’s mother reportedly went to a casino, and the girl was left alone.

In an interview with Albert Lea Police detective Frank Kohl, the girl stated she allegedly invited Torres to the room, where the two had sexual intercourse.

She said she knew Torres, as she is a friend of his sister, and he knew how old she was at the time.

In a separate case, Torres also faces one felony count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, including penetration or sexual conduct with a person under 13, stemming from an alleged incident in April at the Countryside Inn Motel in Albert Lea.

He has previously been convicted of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a gross misdemeanor, in 2008, and third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person age 13 to 15, a felony, earlier this year.

Torres remains in the Freeborn County jail on a $750,000 unconditional bail and $500,000 conditional bail.

He is scheduled to appear on the charge June 23 at 11 a.m.