Warrants Out for 2 Men Charged with Assaulting, Imprisoning Burnsville Man

Nationwide arrest warrants have been issued for two St. Paul men accused of assaulting a Burnsville man last month, wrapping tape around his head, threatening to kill him, ransacking his apartment and using his credit card around the Twin Cities.

Police are seeking Robin John Peterson, 51, and Joseph John Rousseau, 29, in connection with the March 5 incident.

According to the criminal complaints, a Burnsville man called police on March 5 and reported that he had been assaulted and robbed.

The alleged victim told police that he had been communicating with a man he knew only as Tony, whom he had met through a telephone dating service. The man described Tony as a white male, in his 50s, 5-foot-7, with a slender build and a noticeable speech impediment.

At about 7:00 p.m. March 5, the victim met Tony in person for the first time in the parking lot of a store in Eagan. The victim said Tony – later identified as Peterson – was late because he had gotten lost and stopped at a Burnsville gas station to get directions; he said he never saw the car in which Tony arrived, and that Tony told him he would rather ride with him so he wouldn’t get lost again.

When they arrived at the victim’s apartment, they watched computer pornography, and Tony tried to get the victim to perform a sexual act on him, according to the complaint.

When the victim suggested that they “slow things down,” Peterson became upset and threw him down, pinning him to the ground, the victim said. Peterson then began to ransack the victim’s belongings, finding a folding knife with a 6-inch blade, which he held to the victim’s throat several times, threatening to kill him if he went to the police or told anyone else about the incident, according to the complaint.

Peterson then called a man later identified as Rousseau and asked him to come to the victim’s apartment, the victim told police. When he arrived about five minutes later, Rousseau hit the victim on the head, then wrapped tape around his head to keep the victim from looking at him, the complaint says.

Peterson and Rousseau discussed whether or not they should kill the victim, and threatened him and his family numerous times, according to the complaint.

Peterson and Rousseau then stole a 40-inch flat-screen television, the victim’s wallet – which contained his driver’s license, his credit card, medical cards, bank checks and gift cards – a cell phone and about $30 in cash, along with all his keys, the complaint charges.

Police collected a baseball cap and a sweatshirt left behind by Peterson, and also found a roll of tape, which they took into evidence, the complaint says.

After the robbery, the victim’s credit card was used 13 times in Ramsey, Washington and Scott counties for transactions totaling $988. One of his stolen checks was made out for $300 and cashed by another man in Washington County, police said.

Police tracked down Peterson after the victim’s credit card was used to pay for gas pumped into two vehicles in St. Paul. Peterson, a passenger in one of the cars, told police that he didn’t know the driver of the second vehicle, who he said used a credit card to fill both tanks after Peterson paid him in cash for the gas.

Surveillance video showed that the driver of the second vehicle – later identified as Rousseau – had facial tattoos and braided hair and was wearing a jacket with Al Capone’s face on the back.

On March 6, police located Rousseau while he was driving in St. Paul. Police found the Burnsville assault victim’s driver’s license and blank checks in a black pouch hidden in the bra of one of Rousseau’s passengers, and they also found the Al Capone jacket, along with knives and a roll of tape in the vehicle, according to the complaint.

The second passenger told police that he had met Rousseau a few days earlier, and that he was at Peterson’s home on March 5 when Rousseau and Peterson left together. He said they returned briefly at about 8:30 p.m., then all three left for Mystic Lake Casino and didn’t return until the following morning.

Surveillance video from the casino shows the three men at the casino, unsuccessfully attempting to use the victim’s credit card. Additional surveillance video from other locations also show the three men completing the 13 fraudulent transactions, according to the complaint.

A gas station employee in Burnsville provided police with surveillance video showing Rousseau entering the store and asking for directions on the evening of March 5. The victim was shown a photo lineup on March 7, and identified Peterson as the man he knew as Tony.

Peterson’s criminal record includes a 1986 burglary conviction and 1997 convictions for making terroristic threats and domestic assault.

Anyone with information on Peterson’s and Rousseau’s whereabouts should contact local police or leave an anonymous tip here.