On October 7, 2025, Bloomington Police received a report of sexual assault on two minors which had occurred the previous weekend, between October 3 and October 5, 2025. The initial reporter was the mother of both minors. The victims were identified as 17-year-old, "Child A," and 16-year-old, "Child B." The victims' mother reported that Child A and Child B had stayed with a family friend, PHILEMON LEMUEL COLEMAN, Defendant herein, at his home in Minneapolis over the previous weekend. After they returned, the victims disclosed to an older sibling that Defendant had sexually assaulted them during the visit.
The investigation was transferred to Minneapolis police on October 8, 2025, and Child B had a medical exam completed by a forensic nurse examiner on the same date. On October 22, 2025, both Child A and Child B were forensically interviewed at CornerHouse. Child A described falling asleep in Defendant's bed on the first night of the visit (Friday, October 3, 2025). Child A said Defendant came into the room and got in bed with her. Defendant reached his arm around her and started to rub her leg. Defendant continued rubbing, moving his hand up Child A's leg to her inner thigh, just below her genital area.
The next night, Child A reported, her sister, Child B, slept in the bed while Child A slept on the couch. In the early morning, Child A heard Child B crying from the bedroom, and Child B then came and got on the couch with Child A. The two minors then went into a bathroom and turned on a hairdryer, and Child B told Child A that Defendant had sexually assaulted her. Child B described sleeping in Defendant's bed the second night of the visit (Saturday, October 4, 2025). Child B stated that Defendant got in bed with her in the early morning hours of Sunday (around 5:00 AM) and started rubbing her butt and "spooning" her.
She described Defendant as drunk. Defendant then turned Child B's body over, kissed her, and reached under her clothes and touched Child B's genital area. Defendant put Child B's hand on his penis and told Child B to give him "a hand job." Defendant then penetrated Child B's vagina with his penis. Child B described feeling "burning" when she urinated after the assault. Later on Sunday, Defendant took Child B out of the house, ostensibly for the purpose of buying some personal products for Child B at the store.
Defendant took Child B to a hotel, checked in, and took Child B to the room. Defendant made Child B sit on his lap and rubbed on her breasts and attempted to rub her genital area. Defendant saw that Child B "wasn't happy" with the sexual contact, and they left the hotel. The Minneapolis police investigator identified the hotel in Roseville and obtained video surveillance from October 5, 2025. Defendant and Child B are visible in the video footage. The video showed Defendant checking into the hotel at about 11:40 AM, Defendant and Child B then entering the hotel together and getting in the elevator, and Defendant and Child B leaving approximately 20 minutes later.