(KNSI) – A former corrections officer from Foley has been sentenced to 120 days in jail and seven years probation after pleading guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Randy Allen Beehler, 54, will also have to register as a predatory offender and participate in sex offender treatment.
The criminal complaint says that on September 30th, 2019, Beehler was transporting a female inmate from Olmsted County Jail to Hennepin County Jail as a Minnesota Department of Corrections employee. Beehler stopped at a McDonald’s in Cannon Falls and told the inmate he would buy her food and let her sit in the front seat of the vehicle if she performed sexual acts with him. After getting food, the criminal complaint says Beehler uncuffed the inmate, let her sit in the front seat, began driving again, exposed himself and made the inmate perform sexual acts on him.
The inmate reported the assault after arriving at Hennepin County Jail.
When investigators spoke with Beehler, he initially denied the claims, but later admitted to events reported by the inmate. He pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct on March 24, 2021.
Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena commented on Beehler’s sentencing: “I am pleased Mr. Beehler is being held accountable for his actions. As an employee of the Minnesota Department of Corrections, Mr. Beehler was entrusted with the Victim’s care and protection while transporting her to the Hennepin County Jail. He violated his position of authority by engaging in sexual acts with a woman who was in a very vulnerable situation.”