MANKATO — A Mankatoan previously convicted for sexual misconduct with a minor faces a new charge for continued contact with the victim, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday.
Anthony Paris Wilson, 29, was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct in Blue Earth County District Court.
His previous conviction on the same charge stemmed from charges filed in 2021, with him entering a Norgaard plea — occurring when a defendant asserts they don’t remember the offense but acknowledge the state has enough evidence to obtain a conviction.
Court records state the 2021 offense involved sexual activity between Wilson, 25 years old at the time, and a 13-year-old girl. In December 2023 the girl reported further sexual misconduct by Wilson when she was 15 and he was 27, prompting the latest charge.
He was sentenced to 365 days in jail and placed on probation for seven years related to the earlier charge.
Before that sentencing he sought to withdraw his plea, arguing that he didn’t fully understand the consequences it would have on his employment and housing at the time. The district court denied him, following by him appealing the decision.
In April the Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s decision.
Thursday’s criminal complaint alleges Wilson continued to contact the victim despite being barred from doing so as a condition of his probation related to the earlier conviction. A relative of the girl reportedly told police in October 2023 that Wilson messaged the girl on Instagram asking to hang out.
North Mankato police contacted his probation agent a few months prior about alleged contact between Wilson and the girl at a local park.
Police arrested Wilson and searched his phone, finding evidence of illegal conduct with minors. He was also charged with a separate child pornography possession offense related to this on Wednesday.