Apple Valley man accused of sexually assaulting teen during tenure as police officer

A 35-year-old man has been charged after being accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl during a time in which he was a police officer, according to court documents filed Monday. 

Jordan Zempel of Apple Valley, Minnesota, is charged with one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct of an individual between the ages of 16 and 17.

A therapist reported the girl was being assaulted by Zempel to law enforcement in December 2025, the criminal complaint said. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension then spoke to her.

According to the court document, the girl informed agents that she told Zempel she was 18, that she never showed him any identification and he saw her in high school photos. 

"She stated that the defendant [Zempel] being a police officer was well-known and he referred to having power and guns," the complaint said. 

They met in person for the first time on Sept. 12, 2025, soon after they started messaging. During the meeting, Zempel pulled out a gun and said, "You're safer with me than anyone else," per the complaint.

The girl said Zempel also told her he had friends in the police department and that she couldn't say no to him, the court document said. She added that when she got in his car after they met, she remembered thinking, "What did I just do?" and that she had to go through with it because he drove her to his house in Apple Valley and had a gun.

At one point during the first meeting, Zempel handcuffed the girl, according to the complaint.

Zempel and the girl had sex three times between September 2025 and November 2025, the court document said. During the third time, he was allegedly wearing his police officer uniform.

When Zempel was stopped by police, he, without being asked any direct questions, indicated he had a sexual relationship with the girl, according to the complaint. At one point, he allegedly said, "I kind of get what is going on here and I get that position of authority thing. I get that, I saw that too. I'm like oh f***, d***." 

The court document did not disclose which community Zempel worked in as a police officer.

As of Monday, Zempel is not in custody, court records show. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in jail and a maximum fine of $30,000.