MN Man Jailed for Teen’s Death Gets 21 Years for Sexual Assaults

Lakeville, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Minnesota man currently imprisoned for causing the death of a teenager in a traffic crash has now been sentenced for sexually assaulting two juvenile girls.

According to court records, police in Lakeville opened a sexual misconduct investigation against 23-year-old Alejandro Jesus Saavedra the day after he was charged with criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation in connection with a high-speed crash in Burnsville in April 2022 that claimed the life of 16-year-old Sydney Kohner. The Lakeville North High School student and a 15-year-old girl, who was severely injured in the crash, were passengers in Saavedra's car when it went off a sharp curve and smashed into a concrete pillar.

The charges alleged that he was intoxicated and impaired by marijuana when he sped away from a Burnsville hotel after police responded to a noise complaint connected to the party he was hosting with the underage girls. Several months after the fatal crash, Saavedra entered guilty pleas to criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation charges and was sentenced to 57 months in prison.

READ MORE: Farmington Man Sentenced For Death of Lakeville HS Student

In February, 2023, the Dakota County Attorney's Office filed a complaint against Saavedra that charged him with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The court document states that Lakeville police were contacted by the mother of a 14-year-old girl who reported that her daughter, who was a friend of the teenage girl killed in the crash, had been provided drugs by Saavedra in exchange for sex.

MINNESOTA MAN ACCUSED OF EXCHANGING DRUGS FOR SEX WITH 13 AND 14 YEAR OLD GIRLS

The charges also state that Lakeville police investigators were contacted two months later by the Farmington Police Department, which was investigating similar allegations against Saavedra. In that case, it involved a 13-year-old girl.

While he was in custody on the charges stemming from the fatal crash, Saavedra initially denied the allegations, but eventually entered guilty pleas to both of the sexual assault charges.

He was sentenced on Wednesday to more than 21 years in prison to be served concurrently with his sentence for criminal vehicular homicide. The sentencing order also indicates he will be on supervised release for the remainder of his life after he completes his prison term.

He was given credit for the 963 days he has already been in custody, and according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections, with good behavior, Saavedra could be eligible for release from prison in 12 years.

More Minnesota News:

• Charges: Search Leads to Discovery of Deadly Drugs in Rochester
• Rochester Man Accused of Evading Taxes on $2.4 Million of Income
• First of Two Major Rochester Highway Projects to Start Next Year