South Dakota State Senate candidate Joel Koskan charged with grooming and raping underage relative
MELLETTE COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA: Following allegations that he manipulated, assaulted, and raped a juvenile family member for several years, a Republican candidate for the South Dakota Legislature has been charged with felony child abuse. After reviewing an investigation done by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Assistant Attorney General Mandy Miller charged Joel Koskan, who is seeking the state Senate for the third time, on Thursday, November 4 in Mellette County with subjecting the child to "sexual grooming activities." He is accused of grooming and abusing the girl for at least six years from 2014, when she was just 12.
According to the Daily Mail, the Republican allegedly started grooming the youngster by kissing her, giving her long hugs, and letting her sit on his lap. The girl apparently thought this behavior was among "normal things" that families were meant to do. When the child was 14, she attended a Christian summer camp where the counselors taught her about when physical contact with adults can turn inappropriate or sexual. It was then that the girl understood Koskan's behavior was inappropriate. She reported him to the police in May 2022.
