(Bismarck, ND) — A man drove from Mississippi back to Bismarck to plead not guilty to sexual assault charges. Winston Paoni of Gulfport, Mississippi is being charged with two counts of gross sexual imposition with a person under 15. He returned to Bismarck after learning of an investigation after a 16-year-old told police about incidents in 2017 at a home where Paoni used to live. Paoni was contacted by authorities in Gulfport where he denied the allegations. He then drove about 18-hundred miles to Bismarck and told investigators in North Dakota he wants to deal with the charges rather than avoid them.
