Girl, 14, Trafficked and Assaulted in Mahtomedi Apartment, Charges Say

Jul 11

Two men are facing felony charges after a 14-year-old girl was found under the influence and crying out for help outside a Mahtomedi apartment building last month.

According to newly filed complaints, investigators say the girl had been picked up off the street, given drugs and brought to the apartment where she was sexually assaulted.

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Surveillance later showed the same man had brought other young girls to the same unit in the days before the incident.

Billy Ray Wiley, 52, of Minneapolis, is charged in Washington County with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and sex trafficking of a minor. Prosecutors allege Wiley picked up the 14-year-old girl near an Aldi store near her apartment on June 30 and brought her to the Piccadilly Apartments on Mahtomedi Avenue. There, he buzzed into unit 234 and left the girl with 69-year-old Michael Lewis, who now faces two felony counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving the same child.

Washington County Deputies were called to the apartment building around 10 p.m. that night after a neighbor saw the girl dancing erratically in the parking lot and yelling “no no no.” The caller said a man had dropped her off four hours earlier. Officers found the girl unable to control her movements and slurring her words. A search of her purse turned up a glass pipe with burnt residue, what appeared to be a white powdery substance, multiple condoms, alcohol prep wipes and other drug paraphernalia. The girl initially told officers she was there to see a friend. While they were speaking with her, Lewis came out of the building. The girl immediately pointed to him and said she was with him and another man. Lewis told officers he didn’t know the girl and said he thought she may have been with his VA counselor, who he claimed had stopped by earlier. Officers noted that Lewis had bloodshot eyes and continued to walk in and out of the building during the investigation.

EMS transported the girl to the hospital, where she later spoke with members of the East Metro Human Trafficking Task Force. She identified Wiley as a man who regularly picked her up near the Aldi in her neighborhood and said he often drove her to various locations and gave her drugs and money in exchange for sexual acts. She said that on June 30, Wiley picked her up in a Mazda and brought her to the Mahtomedi apartment. She identified Lewis as the man inside and said Wiley gave her crack cocaine before leaving her there alone in the apartment. She nodded yes when asked if something sexual had happened but initially didn’t want to speak further.

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Investigators later reviewed surveillance footage that showed Wiley arriving at the apartment building at 6:36 p.m. with the girl. She was carrying two small bags, including an Aldi shopping bag. Wiley was seen using the security pad to buzz room 234 before entering the building with the girl. He was seen leaving alone just after 10 p.m. A short time later, the girl ran outside showing signs of severe impairment that were drastically different from when she had arrived.

The girl gave a second interview on July 7, telling investigators she knew she would be expected to perform sexual acts in exchange for drugs or money when Wiley picked her up. She said shortly after he brought her to Lewis’ apartment, a sexual encounter occurred. She said the assaults took place in Lewis’ bedroom and that she was given drugs both before and after. She described the apartment interior and said Wiley usually gave her “enough” money but hadn’t before leaving that night.

Surveillance footage also showed Wiley at the same apartment complex two days earlier, on June 28, arriving with two other young girls. One appeared sober, but the other had difficulty getting out of the car and was clearly impaired. Wiley helped her into the building. Both were carrying multiple bags. Wiley again buzzed into Lewis’ apartment. Hours later, Wiley was seen leaving with the impaired girl while the other was found slumped over and drooling inside a resident’s vehicle in the underground garage. She was seen heading back to room 234 but wasn’t located when officers responded.

Investigators obtained a warrant to track Wiley’s phone and found him driving near Interstate 694 & White Bear Avenue on July 8. When officers stopped his vehicle near the Piccadilly Apartments, a 17-year-old girl was in the passenger seat. Wiley made an unsolicited statement to an officer about the legality of a sexual encounter. Inside the vehicle, officers found 13 unopened condoms, 1.7 grams of a white crystalline substance, an iPhone, and two slips of paper with phone numbers. Testing on the suspected drugs is pending.

The 17-year-old told officers Wiley had approached her earlier in the day while she was near Dale Street and University Avenue in Saint Paul. She said he complimented her body and repeatedly refused to drop her off despite her asking. She said they drove around to multiple apartment buildings and eventually got food from Culver’s. Wiley suggested they eat at his apartment in Mahtomedi, but she said she insisted on staying in the car. She positively identified one of the girls seen in the June 28 surveillance footage.

Police later searched Lewis’ apartment and found it matched the girl’s description, including the bedroom layout and large kitchen table. Multiple items of drug paraphernalia were recovered inside.

Both men were arrested and remain in custody. Each made initial court appearances on Thursday. Wiley’s bail was set at $750,000 with conditions while Lewis had bail set at $400,000 with conditions. Search warrants on each of their phones and additional investigative work remain ongoing as law enforcement continues to identify other potential victims.

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