Idaho Man Charged with Raping Woman Outside Bemidji Bar

Editor’s note: This story contains details that some readers may find disturbing.

An Idaho man has been charged with felony 3rd-degree criminal sexual conduct involving force or coercion in Bemidji for an incident that took place outside of a local bar.

According to a criminal complaint from the Bemidji Police Department, “On the night of July 25, 2021, John Jennings was at the Corner Bar in Bemidji, MN.  Law enforcement was called to that location that night after a witness called in a sexual assault.  Several people from the Corner Bar went outside to find Jennings sexually penetrating a female victim in the grass near a bush next to the parking lot.”

Witnesses went on to say Jennings was pinning the female down as she was screaming and crying. Witnesses told Jennings to get off of her but he would not.

Witnesses told officers that prior to the sexual assault, the victim had been inside at the bar reading a book. Then, Jennings approached the victim and began talking to her. Both Jennings and the woman had been drinking. Witnesses observed that Jennings and the woman left the bar together. A little while later, a witness came into the bar and told the people inside that it appeared someone was getting raped outside in the parking lot. Law enforcement was called and the people went outside to confront the situation.

The victim stated that she expressed to Jennings, who she had just met that night when he approached her, that she didn’t want to have sex with him and believes she told him no at least twice. The victim stated that once they were in the grassy area off of the parking lot, Jennings became forceful. She stated that Jennings had removed her clothing and forced penetration. The victim described being scared and feeling like she couldn’t move. The victim stated she knows she told him no. She explained that she didn’t want it to happen, and especially not right outside of the bar. The victim stated she felt like she didn’t have the ability to stop him.

Jennings, who is from Idaho, was staying at the Double Tree Hotel in Bemidji. When asked by law enforcement what he was doing in Bemidji, he told police he was in Bemidji getting drunk.

A check on Jenning’s prior criminal record shows that Jennings carries a criminal history in the States of Texas, Wyoming, Kansas, Alaska, Utah, and Idaho.