Child Porn Charge Filed Against Rochester Man Charged With Rape

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Olmsted County prosecutors have added possession of child pornography to the list of charges against a Rochester man who was previously accused of sexually assaulting a young girl and an adult woman.

The new criminal complaint against 25-year-old Zerefino Cano Rafael says a search warrant was issued for his cell phone after his arrest in January on the sexual assault charges. The court document indicates a search of the phone led to the discovery of a sexually explicit video of a girl who appeared to be between 6 and 8 years old.

The video, which was stored in the data for the app "WhatsApp," includes the voice of an adult male prompting the child to perform sexual acts. The complaint says investigators suspect it is Cano's voice on the video, which was recorded in March of last year.

Rafael was previously charged with first and second-degree criminal sexual conduct for allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulting a girl in 2018 when she was approximately 7 years old. The charges stemmed from an investigation that was launched the previous July when the victim sought treatment at St. Marys Hospital and reported being assaulted.

Another criminal complaint alleges Rafael raped an adult woman the same year the sexual assaults on the child allegedly occurred. His bail was initially set at $25,000, but it was increased to $1 million after he failed to report for a required court hearing and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

Rafael is scheduled to be arraigned on the child pornography charge on August 30th.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, resources are available for help. Visit the RAINN website (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) or dial 800-656-HOPE (800-656-4673).