Minneapolis Man Accused of Having Sex with Child in Eagan, Burnsville

A Minneapolis man has been charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct after authorities said he forced a child to have sex repeatedly in Eagan and Burnsville.

A nationwide warrant has been issued for Michael Vernon Price, 31. He faces four counts of criminal sexual conduct, all felonies. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $40,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint against Price, filed in Dakota County District Court in Hastings, Eagan police launched an investigation into Price’s activities last July after receiving an initial complaint.

The complaint said Price abused the child from the time she was 7-years-old until she turned 11-years-old at homes in Eagan and Burnsville.

The child told police that Price made her take a shower after he had sex with her. She told authorities that the sex hurt, and the pain sometimes lasted for two days.

According to the complaint, the child “reported that when Price was done, she was relieved and would cry in the shower.”

The child told police that Price sometimes gave her a $10 or $20 bill, and often told her not to tell anyone or he would hurt her or her mother. Authorities asked her if she believed that he would follow through on his threats, and the child replied, “Yes, he popped someone’s eye out and broke their jaw. He put my mom in the hospital during a fight they had.”

The child said the sexual contact occurred when she was in first, second, third and fourth grades.

Price’s criminal record includes convictions for domestic abuse in Dakota County in 2006, fifth-degree assault in Scott County in 2008 and weapons violations in Blue Earth and Hennepin Counties in 2008 and 2010.