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Attorney: Accused Vulcan apologizes (St. Paul Pioneer Press)

The lawyer said the accusers in the sex case haven't decided whether to sue.

The attorney for three female bartenders who say they were sexually molested by the St. Paul Winter Carnival's Vulcanus Rex said Wednesday that his clients have received an apology from the suspect.

Attorney Jeff Sieben also said that the women have not decided whether they will file a lawsuit in the matter.

“There is an ongoing criminal investigation, and we do not want to interfere with that at all,” Sieben said at a news conference in his downtown Minneapolis office.

The Winter Carnival's Vulcan Krewe descended on Alary's Bar in St. Paul on February 1 after a night of drinking and lap dances at a strip club.

The women allege that the group's leader, Thomas C. Trudeau, touched them inappropriately, jabbing his fingers into their crotches and touching their breasts.

Trudeau, 54, is charged with three counts of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct and is free on $3,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in Ramsey County District on March 15.

Kate Latimer, Trudeau's attorney, said he continues to deny the sexual molestation allegations. Latimer also refused to confirm or deny whether Trudeau apologized to the women.

Sieben refused to identify the women other than give their ages. But one identifies herself as Kate Richardson, 20. The other two are age 19.

In a statement, the women said they felt intimidated by Trudeau and the Vulcans' actions. “We were each sexually assaulted,” said one of the women, who read a statement. “We felt disrespected, taken advantage of and violated. What happened that night has left each of us feeling terrible.”

Latimer said she saw the news conference as an attempt to pave the way for the filing of civil suits by the women, who still work at the bar.

“I understand their goal is the receipt of civil damages,” she said. Latimer said the publicity generated by the news conference also will hinder her client's right to a fair trial. “All of this doesn't help,” she said.

Late Wednesday, an attorney representing the bar issued a statement saying that the establishment supported the women and that it did not condone what happened.

Winter Carnival officials have stated that the Vulcans were not at an official function when the incident happened.

Trudeau allegedly touched the women inappropriately during the garter ritual, where Vulcan Rex (the fire king) and his Vulcan Krewe surround a woman and place a garter around her thigh as a part of a knighting ceremony.

Since the incident, Trudeau has taken a voluntary leave of absence from the Vulcans. The entire Vulcan Krewe has been suspended by Winter Carnival officials while a committee debates its members' future.

Among the items the committee is considering is banning the garter ritual and prohibiting the traditional pub crawling for which the Vulcans are known.

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