By Patrick Tepoorten

The Forest Lake man who is charged with three counts of criminal sexual conduct for the alleged assault of an incapacitated 13-year-old girl will appear in court on Feb. 15 for what Chisago County Attorney Katherine Johnson referred to as an ìinitial appearance.î Johnson would not comment on what might happen at that appearance, and did not wish to speculate on what would follow.

Peter Charles Ramberg did not enter a plea at his appearance before Judge J. McBride on Dec. 1. Since he did not, it is likely that he will do so on Feb. 15, according to an outside legal opinion.

It is unclear at this time what kind of representation Ramberg will have going forward. According to court records, he has not notified the county that he has retained an attorney, nor does he appear to be making use of a public defender at this time. Ramberg could still request a public defender, on Feb. 15, if he does not have legal council by that time.

From there, the case could be subject to additional omnibus hearings depending on the plea by Ramberg. What course of action will be pursued will be based on ìthe facts and circumstancesî of the case, according to Johnson.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Criminal History Report data base indicates that Ramberg has one previous criminal conviction in Washington Co., where he was convicted of misdemeanor DWI in March of 2004 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, two years probation, and a $1,000 fine.

He is currently facing three charges of criminal sexual conduct for the alleged assault. The most serious of the three carries a penalty of 30 years in prison and a $40,000 fine. The second count comes with 25 years in prison and a $35,000 fine, and the third with 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. According to Johnson, all three of those charges are currently being pursued.

Chisago County Investigator Doug Henning will not comment on any specifics regarding Ramberg or what he referred to as an ìongoingî investigation. When asked if the assault victim was in a safe place, Henning responded ìyesî but would not elaborate further.

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