Prosecutors drop sexual assault charges against Minn. man who they hoped would give info on his brother

The Ramsey County attorney's office dismissed two counts of criminal sexual conduct previously pending against Jerry Guevara Jr., citing the need for additional investigation.

A spokeswoman for the office said the decision was based on "new information" that needed to be vetted but declined to comment further.

Jerry Guevara is the older brother of Robert Guevara, the man who was charged and subsequently acquitted by a jury in the 1992 murder of Corrine Erstad.

Despite his acquittal, police continue to suspect Robert Guevara was involved in the young girl's disappearance in Inver Grove Heights. Her body has never been found.

The Ramsey County charges were the latest in a number of sexual misconduct accusations against Jerry Guevara Jr.

The 53-year-old was recently sentenced on sexual-misconduct charges in Washington County and faces additional charges in Olmsted County.

While all of the allegations are unrelated to the Erstad case, authorities hoped Jerry Guevara might talk about his brother's suspected involvement in her abduction in exchange for a plea deal in his own cases.

So far, that hasn't panned out, according to an investigator involved in the case.

The Ramsey County attorney's office filed charges of first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct against Jerry Guevara Jr. in August based on allegations he sexually assaulted the daughter of one of his former friends about 30 years ago.

In an interview with police, Jerry Guevara said he recalled the girl's father as a drinking buddy but said he didn't know his daughter and denied sexually assaulting her, according to the criminal complaint filed in the case.

A motion filed Jan. 9 by Jerry Guevara's public defender argued for the case's dismissal on the grounds that the alleged misconduct took place in Lilydale, which is in Dakota County, meaning Ramsey County lacked jurisdiction.

The county dismissed the charges three days later.

Jerry Guevara also denied the charges brought against him in Washington and Olmsted counties.

In those cases, he is accused of sexually assaulting the mother of his nine children. Two of the children were conceived while she was underage, one when she was 16 and living in Washington County and another when she was 17 and living in Olmsted County, court documents say.

The woman told a judge during his sentencing hearing in Washington County that she was not a victim and that she and Jerry Guevara had been in a consensual, loving relationship for many years .Jerry Guevara was sentenced to 15 years of probation in Washington County. His case in Olmsted County is pending.

Jerry Guevara could not be immediately reached for comment.