WILLMAR -- Armando Escot, 25, of Willmar, was arraigned Nov. 7 on criminal sexual conduct and assault charges for allegedly raping a 17-year-old Willmar girl.
Unconditional bail was set at $200,000 by Judge Donald M. Spilseth. Conditional bail was set at $150,000, provided Escot consume no alcohol or drugs, submit to random testing, report to probation im-mediately, possess no firearms, have no contact with the girl and be excluded from the apartment building where she resides.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Escot remained in the Kandiyohi County Jail.
Escot faces two first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges, for penetration or contact that resulted in injury or fear of great bodily harm, and a third-degree assault charge for the Nov. 5 incident. The criminal sexual conduct charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $40,000 fine. The assault charge carries a maximum of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
According to the complaint, Willmar police officers were called around 8:45 p.m. to an apartment building on the city's southwest side. Officers found a hysterical girl screaming in the hallway that she had been raped. She was taken by ambulance to Rice Memorial Hospital.
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Police interviewed a female relative of the girl, who told officers she came home to find the girl and Escot having sex on the girl's bed. She said the girl was screaming "get away, get away." The woman said she pushed Escot away from the girl and that he ran from the apartment. The woman told police that Escot resides in the same apartment building with his girlfriend. Police later arrested Escot at his apartment. The woman positively identified him as the man she saw with the girl. In an interview with police, Escot confirmed that he had been to the girl's apartment that evening, but would not tell police what he had done there.
The next day, police interviewed the girl, who told officers she and Escot had been drinking alcohol and talking in her bedroom. She also said she had not consented to sex with Escot. The woman also suffered a chipped tooth, facial injuries and scratches and bruises consistent with being held by the wrists.
Escot's next court appearance is set for Monday.
