ST. PETER, Minn. — A security guard at the Minnesota Sex Offender Treatment Program in St. Peter is accused of having a sexual relationship with a patient.

Claudia Kogo, 57, of Mankato, was charged with felony counts of criminal sexual conduct Friday in Nicollet County District Court.

A patient who was committed as a sexually dangerous person reported he had sex with Kogo more than two dozen times in late 2017. The patient reported the relationship started with flirting and progressed to sex, according to the court complaint.

Kogo reportedly told a state investigator she kissed and groped the patient, but she denied having sex with him. Kogo declined to talk to a St. Peter police detective.

The detective obtained a warrant and listened to recordings of phone calls between Kogo and the patient. Many of the calls included conversations about their sexual activities, the charges said.

Kogo is no longer an employee at the treatment center, according to a Minnesota Department of Human Services spokesman. Related Articles Two men face felony charges in Bloomington home invasion

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“Sexual relationships between staff and patients or clients at DHS treatment facilities are unacceptable under any circumstances,” DHS Deputy Commissioner Chuck Johnson said in a statement. “We immediately investigate all such allegations, which can result in discipline or termination of the staff person.”