A South Dakota Republican running for state Senate has been arrested and charged with felony child abuse after he allegedly groomed and raped a young family member for years.
The candidate, Joel Koskan, reportedly abused the young girl for at least six years, starting in 2014, The New York Post reports.
Citing court documents, The Post reported that Koskan “began grooming the child when she was 12 years old by having her sit on his lap, kissing her and giving long hugs, according to the court docs. The child thought the behavior was “‘normal things’ that families were supposed to do,” an investigator wrote in the document. She realized what Koskan was doing to her was abusive at a summer camp she attended at age 14 when counselors spoke about inappropriate physical contact with adults.”
The GOP candidate even reportedly installed a camera in the girl’s room so he could watch her from an app on his phone. The girl said he regularly touched her inappropriately and began forcing sexual intercourse afterward, local news outlet The Mitchell Republic reports.
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https://www.mitchellrepublic.com/news/south-dakota/sd-state-senate-candidate-accused-of-repeatedly-molesting-family-member-over-five-years
“These allegations concerning Joel Koskan are deeply disturbing, and he should immediately end his campaign,” party chairman Randy Seiler said in a statement, according to The NY Post. “While he will still appear on the ballot, the choice for the voters of District 26 couldn’t be clearer. Partisan politics aside, Joel Koskan should not be voting in the legislature on issues that affect South Dakota kids — or any issues at all.”
Koskan could also face multiple counts of rape, sexual contact with a child under the age of 16 and aggravated incest-related child, according to the report. He faces decades in prison if convicted.
