Woodbury Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Sexual Assault of Teen

Jorge Hernandez Perez pleaded guilty to charges related to meeting and assaulting a 15-year-old girl he contacted on a teen-focused app.

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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A 34-year-old Woodbury man was sentenced to 8 years in prison for criminal sexual conduct with a 15-year-old girl he met through an online app designated for teenagers. Jorge Hernandez Perez pleaded guilty to charges including sexual penetration and engaging in electronic communication describing sexual conduct with a child after initially being investigated for a separate assault of a teenager in Wisconsin.

Why it matters

This case highlights the dangers of online predators targeting minors through social media and dating apps, as well as the importance of law enforcement cooperation across jurisdictions to identify and prosecute these types of crimes against vulnerable youth.

The details

According to court documents, Hernandez Perez initially came to the attention of police in Menomonie, Wisconsin, who were investigating a forcible sexual assault of a teenager that he had met online. During that investigation, the Wisconsin detective identified that Hernandez Perez had also messaged and solicited other underage girls for sex, including a 15-year-old girl in Albert Lea, Minnesota. The victim stated she had met Hernandez Perez on an app called Befriend, and their conversation then moved to Snapchat, where they exchanged nude photos before meeting up in September 2024 and the sexual assault occurred.

  • Hernandez Perez pleaded guilty in November 2025.
  • He was sentenced on February 16, 2026.
  • The sexual assaults occurred in September 2024.

The players

Jorge Hernandez Perez

A 34-year-old man from Woodbury, Minnesota who pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct charges for assaulting a 15-year-old girl he met online.

Befriend

An online app designated for teenagers that Hernandez Perez used to initially contact the victim.

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What’s next

Hernandez Perez will serve a conditional release of 99 years after he is released from his 8-year prison sentence.

The takeaway

This case underscores the critical need for parents to be vigilant about their children's online activities and for law enforcement to aggressively pursue predators who use technology to exploit minors.