Hennepin deputy charged in off‑duty sexual assault

Wright County prosecutors have charged Hennepin County sheriff’s deputy Jared Sprunk, 33, with third‑ and fifth‑degree criminal sexual conduct over an alleged off‑duty assault on a woman at a home in Albertville on March 1. According to the criminal complaint, the woman and friends helped an allegedly "highly intoxicated" Sprunk to a downstairs bedroom so he could sleep, after which he is accused of assaulting her in the dark, prompting her to scream and pound on the door until friends intervened. Deputies arriving at the scene reportedly found Sprunk outside bleeding from his nose and the back of his head after a confrontation with another man in the house; Sprunk later told investigators he was so drunk he did not remember the night, then denied the allegations after they were explained. The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office says Sprunk has been placed on administrative leave and that it supports a "full and transparent" external investigation. For Twin Cities residents who rely on Hennepin deputies for patrol, jail and court security, the case goes straight to the question of whether the people carrying a badge can be trusted when they’re off the clock, and how aggressively the sheriff’s office handles serious criminal allegations in its own ranks.