Late-Night Break-in of Occupied Rochester Hotel Room Sends Man to Prison

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A break-in at a downtown Rochester hotel that woke the room’s guest has sent a St. Paul man to prison for just under five years. 

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42-year-old Marquese Tate was charged in connection to the break-in at the Kahler Hotel in June of 2022. He entered a plea agreement this past September in which he admitted to a first-degree burglary charge in exchange for the dismissal of a felony assault charge and a gross misdemeanor count of criminal sexual conduct. 

Tate was sentenced Monday morning to 57 months in prison. Court records say he is being credited for 531 days already spent behind bars. 

The criminal complaint in the case says a woman was sleeping in a room at the Kahler when she was woken up around 1 AM by a tickle she felt on her inner thigh. She then saw a man, later identified as Tate, standing over her. 

She told police she responded by screaming and Tate fled from the hotel room. A man sleeping in the room heard her screams and attempted to chase Tate, but was unable to catch up with him. 

The woman then searched her hotel room and found she was missing cash and financial cards. The court document says an officer called to the scene spotted a man matching the description of the intruder and was sweating heavily walking toward the lobby and asked to speak with him. 

The complaint says Tate then admitted to the officers that he was the man who had gone into the victims' hotel room and stated that he had hidden the stolen goods before the officer detained him.