A St. Paul man is charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl he met while volunteering with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office Youth Plus Program.
Pao Ge Vue, 27, was charged by summons Wednesday with one count each 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 yet to be booked into Ramsey County jail on the charges. An attorney is not listed in his court case file.
The girl told police that Vue touched her inner thighs five times, while also trying to touch her groin area before she told him to stop, the charges say. She said that on two or three occasions Vue grabbed her hand to try and get her to touch his penis, which she refused to do. Vue also tried to kiss her, she told police.
The charges say the alleged incidents happened when Vue was driving her somewhere or at a gym not associated with the youth program.
“(The girl) said as the touching occurred, she felt like crying,” the charges say. “She was also scared and questioning herself as to why she was going with him.”
Vue was in charge of her 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 had attended the youth program two to three times a week over the summer and that Vue, who was her coach, often provided the transportation for her.
The girl’s family began noticing in the winter that the girl was spending a lot of time going to the “program” during off-hours. Her family also discovered that Vue was taking the girl to a workout facility in the evenings, “which caused concern,” the charges say.
On Jan. 28, when the girl was out late with Vue, another sister called Vue and told him to bring her home immediately or else she’d call the police. Vue ended the call. When the girl arrived home, 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 sexually assaulted her, the charges say.
She underwent a medical exam with Midwest Children’s Resource Center on Feb. 9 and described the alleged incidents, the charges say.
She said Vue was in charge of her group and that he often would drive her and other kids to a park or field to work on skills for the sports they were playing. She lived closest to Vue so he would pick her up first and drop her off last.
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She said she spent time with Vue outside of his volunteering time with the program and that she felt obligated to do so because he bought her volleyball shorts, a gym membership, food and other things. She said Vue told her to wear the shorts and made sexual comments to her as she was working out at the gym.
She told police that she messaged Vue through TikTok about the incidents on Jan. 30 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 that she was afraid. One friend said Vue took a small group of kids out for activities that weren’t connected with the youth program. They called themselves the “NPG,” which stood for “No Program Group.”
Vue said she ‘trusted him’
Vue spoke with police on Feb. 9, telling them he had become 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 building move,” the charges say.
Vue acknowledged to police that he provided transportation for the girl and other juveniles, and admitted to hanging out with some of them outside of his volunteering time, the charges say. He admitted to talking with them through Facebook, text messages and by phone. He said he bought them items with his own money.
“(Vue) said (the girl) trusted him and he was an ‘influencer’ for her,” the charges say.
When Vue was asked if he ever touched the girl or she touched him, he said he wanted to “remain silent.” He also wanted to “remain silent” when asked if there was any kissing and about the content of text messages.
Volunteer status ended Feb. 13
According to the Youth Plus Program webpage, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office started the program in February 2019 and “introduces youth participants to athletics, outdoor activities, life skills, and literacy enhancement to improve reading skills. More importantly, this structured program helps prevent youth from becoming involved in criminal activity and helps them make more positive choices.”
Volunteers must be over 18 years of age and complete a criminal background investigation, according to the program’s webpage, which says orientation and training are provided. Minnesota court records show Vue does not have a criminal record.
Steve Linders, Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said Thursday that Vue’s volunteer status with the program was terminated on Feb. 13. “If he is found guilty, we hope he’s held accountable for his actions,” Linders said.
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