Joel Koskan (R) loses S Dakota Senate race one day after plea deal for sexual grooming behaviors
The loss comes just one day after Koskan appeared in court where a plea agreement was proposed by the Deputy Attorney General and Koskan’s counsel.
The deal, which still needs to be approved by a judge, would keep Koskan out of prison after pleading guilty to a class 4 felony.
Koskan is accused of sexual grooming behaviors and a probable cause statement said that “probable cause exists to show” that he committed rape, aggravated incest, and sexual contact with a child under the age of 16.
https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/joel-koskan-loses-south-dakota-senate-race-one-day-after-entering-plea-deal/
According to the court document, signed Sept. 9, 2022, Koskan will plead guilty to a charge of Exposing a Minor to Foreseeable Harm, a class 4 felony with a max sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000. However, that prison sentence will be suspended in its entirety.
Instead, Koskan will:
- Reimburse the State for costs associated with the investigation and prosecution of his case.
- Remain on good behavior and obey all federal, state, local, and municipal laws prior to sentencing.
- Complete a psycho-sexual assessment and follow through with completing all recommendations.
- Pay for his victim to attend individual therapy with a licensed therapist of her own choosing.
- Continue to support the victim in the same or similar manner he did before any allegations in were made, which will include:
- Paying for the victims study, including any tuition, fees, books, and room/board at an accredited academic institution until she graduates or turns 22.
- Guarantee continued use of the vehicle he provided to her by signing over the title.
- Continue to provide health, vision and dental insurance to her until she graduates or turns 22.
- Have no contact with the victim.
In exchange for his guilty plea, the document says prosecutors can’t file any other charges against him in the case. While Koskan wasn’t charged until this month, the plea deal says it was signed in September.
A judge still needs to approve the agreement.
https://www.keloland.com/keloland-com-original/senate-candidate-will-face-no-time-in-grooming-plea/?ipid=promo-link-block1
Oh, and he still got 42% of the vote.
= new reply since forum marked as read
The victim alleges he was grooming her at a young age (iirc she says it started when she was 12) with inappropriate touching, long hugs, sitting on his lap, kissing her neck, etc. Also, he apparently put a camera in her room at some unspecified age.
Then she alleged he began forcing literal sex on her when she was 17. Age of Consent is 16 in South Dakota.
It's infuriating that someone can (apparently, in large part) get away with something like this, but the problem for a prosecutor is that, unless she went to police at the time of rape, filed a report, put in a rape kit ... these types of cases come down to 'he said/she said'.
He can say that he was just being affectionate because he loved her as an adoptive father, and that the sex at 17 was consensual, which would technically be 'legal' age-wise, and it would come down entirely to whether the jury believed the 17 year old ... actually didn't consent, and that these grooming behaviors actually took place and were purposeful in intent.
Prosecutors make deals like this because proving crimes like this beyond reasonable doubt is difficult.
All I can say is that I hope this deal was made in consult with the young woman, and that these tenets are at least a 'livable' situation to her, and that the therapy she gets ... is helpful and provides some relief.
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