Former SJU student pleads not guilty

At an omnibus hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 20, former St. John’s student John Kocher chose to waive omnibus and plead not guilty.

Kocher was charged with one count each of third- and fourth- degree criminal sexual conduct on Feb. 20 from events that occurred on the night of Dec. 6-7, 2025. The St. Joseph Police Department responded to a report of a sexual assault on the CSB campus on Jan. 30. The criminal complaint alleges that “Victim A stated she had consumed alcohol that night and that Kocher had missed the last bus back to his dorm room at St. John’s University. Victim A permitted Kocher to stay in her dorm provided they did not do anything sexual…Victim A reported that after they had fallen asleep, she woke up to Kocher penetrating her vagina over her clothing with his fingertips.”

At his hearing, the lead attorney for the defense, Eric Newmark, asked the court to alter the details of Kocher’s probation, requesting that the requirement for random drug testing transition to only probable cause testing. Judicial officer Nathaniel Welte agreed with the defense’s request.

The next stage of the case will be a settlement conference where the prosecution, defense and presiding judicial officer will discuss a potential plea agreement to avoid bringing the case to trial. This conference is scheduled for Dec. 21 at 2 p.m.

If there is no resolution at this meeting, a three-day jury trial has been set for Jan. 11-13, 2027, with trial days starting at 8:30 a.m. each day at the Stearns County Courthouse in St. Cloud.

Another former SJU student, Brian Kimithi, was also arrested last school year on Jan. 27 for first- degree criminal sexual conduct and third-degree criminal sexual conduct. His jury trial will begin next week on Monday, Oct. 26, and run through Thursday, Oct. 29. The Record will publish an update on the trial in the next print edition on Oct. 29 and provide a final update on The Record website immediately following the conclusion of the trial.