Charges: Barn Manager Repeatedly Exposed Self To Workers

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A barn manager at a south metro horse ranch is accused of exposing himself several times to employees in recent years, reportedly claiming that his pants "accidentally" fell down.

Fifty-eight-year-old John Gutzman, of St. Paul, is charged with two gross misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure, documents filed in Dakota County show.

According to a criminal complaint, two employees at a ranch in Vermillion Township reported that Gutzman exposed himself to them several times each, starting in March 2016 and continuing until March 2018.

After exposing his genitals to them, Gutzman would then give insincere apologizes or say that his pants accidentally fell to his ankles, the employees said.

One of the employees said that beginning last September, Gutzman would sometimes interrupt horse treatment procedures conducted via FaceTime by exposing himself to the camera and masturbating. This happened at least eight times, the employee said.

If convicted of the indecent exposure charges, Gutzman faces a maximum penalty of 1 year in prison and/or a $3,000 fine per charge. He is slated to appear in court on June 18.

According to the court documents, Gutzman has been convicted five times for indecent exposure. The first conviction came in 1994, the most recent was in 2010.