A Republican running for South Dakota state Senate was charged with felony child abuse for grooming and raping a young family member for years.
Joel Koskan, 44, a third-time candidate for the state Senate, groomed and abused the young girl for at least six years starting in 2014.
Koskan could also face counts of rape, sexual contact with a child under the age of 16 and aggravated incest-related child contact.
Koskan began grooming the child when she was 12 years old by having her sit on his lap, kissing her and giving long hugs.
The little girl thought the behavior was normal and what families were supposed to do. However, 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.
Koskan installed a camera in her bedroom after her return from camp that he would use to constantly watch her from an app on his phone.
He also required her to straddle him without underwear. The girl said he regularly touched her inappropriately and eventually began forcing sexual intercourse after she turned 17 years old on several occasions in the family’s home across the state.
Koskan controlled the child as well with location tracking, required nightly phone calls, authority over her social media accounts and jurisdiction over what she wore. He used GPS tracking via her phone and vehicle and learned through her location that she had gone to the sheriff’s office to speak about the reported abuse.
“You promised you’d never do this,” Koskan texted her on May 6. “I’m begging you, you don’t want to do this.”
Investigators said, “We have other text messages between the victim and suspect that prove her story to be true. Koskan was taken into custody Thursday and has an initial hearing scheduled for Nov. 7.”
Since news of the alleged abuse got out and spread, Koskan has deleted his Twitter account and made his campaign website private. The South Dakota Democratic Party has since called for him to immediately end his campaign.
“These allegations concerning Joel Koskan are deeply disturbing, and he should immediately end his campaign,” party chairman Randy Seiler said in a statement. “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.”
“The allegation against Joel Koskan is very serious, and the South Dakota Republican Party unequivocally opposes child abuse in all forms,” South Dakota GOP Chairman Dan Lederman said. “The South Dakota Republican Party trusts the justice system to work through the allegation.”
If convicted, Koskan can be locked behind bars for up to 10 years.
