Volunteer with Ramsey County Sheriff's Office Youth Program, Girl Sexually Assaulted

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

1 3 minutes read

A St. Paul man is accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl he met while volunteering with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office's Youth Plus program.

Pao Ge Vue, 27, was charged Wednesday by summons with one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and attempted fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct for alleged incidents that occurred on several days in January. Vue has not yet been booked into the Ramsey County Jail on these charges. A lawyer is not listed in his court file.

The girl told police that Vue touched her inner thighs five times, while also trying to touch her groin before telling her to stop, according to the charges. She said that on two or three occasions, Vue grabbed her hand to try to get her to touch his penis, which she refused to do. Vue also tried to kiss her, she told police.

The charges state the alleged incidents occurred when Vue was driving her somewhere or to a gym not associated with the youth program.

“(The girl) stated that at the time of the touching she felt like crying,” the charges state. “She was also scared and wondered why she was leaving with him.”

Vue was in charge of his group

According to the charges, the girl's older sister reported the alleged abuse to St. Paul police on Jan. 30. She said the girl attended the youth program two to three times a week over the summer and that Vue, who was her coach, often provided her transportation.

The girl's family began to notice over the winter that the girl was spending a lot of time attending the “program” after hours. Her family also discovered that Vue was taking the girl to a gym in the evenings, “which caused concern,” according to the charges.

On January 28, while the girl was out late with Vue, another sister called Vue and told her to take her home immediately or she would call the police. Vue ended the call. When the girl arrived home, her family members took her phone and discovered that all messages between her and Vue had been deleted.

When the sisters asked the girl about Vue, she began crying and described how he had sexually assaulted her, according to the charges.

She underwent a medical exam at Midwest Children's Resource Center on Feb. 9 and described the alleged incidents, according to the charges.

She said Vue was in charge of her group and would often lead her and other children to a park or field to develop their skills related to the sports they played. She lived closest to Vue, so he would pick her up first and drop her off last.

She said she spent time with Vue outside of her time volunteering with the program and felt obligated to do so because he bought her volleyball shorts, a membership to a gym, food and other things. She said Vue told her to wear the shorts and made sexual comments to her while she worked out at the gym.

She told police she messaged Vue via TikTok about the Jan. 30 incidents and that he told her he loved her and cared about her.

Two friends of the girl told police she told them about the incidents and was scared. A friend said Vue took a small group of children for activities that were not related to the youth program. They called themselves “NPG,” which stood for “No Program Group.”

Vue said she 'trusted him'

Vue spoke to police on February 9, telling them he became a volunteer with the Youth Plus program in spring 2023 “because he wanted to become a police officer and thought it was a good career move,” the accusations indicate.

Vue admitted to police that he provided transportation for the girl and other minors, and admitted to spending time with some of them outside of his volunteer time, according to the charges. He admitted to speaking with them via Facebook, text and phone. He said he bought items from them with his own money.

“(Vue) said that (the girl) trusted him and that he was an ‘influencer’ for her,” the charges state.

When Vue was asked if he ever touched the girl or if she touched him, he said he wanted to “stay quiet.” He also wanted to “remain silent” when asked if there had been kissing and about the content of the text messages.

Volunteer status ended February 13

According to the Youth Plus program webpage, the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office launched the program in February 2019 and “introduces youth participants to athletics, outdoor activities, life skills and literacy to improve their reading skills. Most importantly, this structured program helps prevent young people from becoming involved in criminal activity and helps them make more positive choices.

Volunteers must be over 18 and complete a criminal background investigation, according to the program's webpage, which says orientation and training are provided. Minnesota court records show Vue has no criminal record.

Steve Linders, a spokesman for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, said Thursday that Vue's volunteer status with the program ended Feb. 13. “If he is found guilty, we hope he will be held accountable for his actions,” Linders said.