South Dakota state Senate candidate Joel Koskan charged with child abuse, documents say
A man running for office in South Dakota has been charged with child abuse, according to court documents.
Joel Matthew Koskan, 44, faces a felony child abuse charge for acts that were alleged to have happened between Oct. 5, 2014 and Oct. 5, 2020, according to a complaint filed in the sixth judicial circuit out of Mellette County. Koskan exposed the now 20-year-old victim to "sexual grooming behaviors," according to court documents.
Koskan, a Republican, is running against Rep. Shawn Bordeaux, a Mission Democrat, for the senate seat in District 26. The seat is held by Sen. Troy Heinert, a Mission Democrat who is term-limited.
The probable cause statement for Koskan has been sealed by order of the South Dakota Office of the Attorney General, according to an email sent to Mellette County court clerks by Mandy Miller, the assistant attorney general.
According to reporting by the Mitchell Daily Republic, which obtained the document, the five-page probable cause statement filed against Koskan was done so by a female family member who realized the way Koskan interacted and touched her since she was a child was inappropriate. Koskan allegedly had sexual intercourse with the victim multiple times throughout different residences across the state. He also tracked the victim's location via GPS tracking through her phone and vehicle, according to the Mitchell Daily Republic reporting.
The Republican candidate texted the victim the day she talked to authorities after tracking her location, according to the Mitchell Daily Republic. A message thread from May 6 indicated Koskan knew the victim was talking with authorities.
“You promised you’d never do this,” Koskan texted. “I’m begging you, you don’t want to do this.”
The child abuse charge Koskan faces is a Class 4 felony punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment and $20,000 in fines.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney General. Koskan's initial appearance is Monday morning.
South Dakota Democratic Party issues statement
The South Dakota Democratic Party is calling for Koskan to end his campaign.
“These allegations concerning Joel Koskan are deeply disturbing, and he should immediately end his campaign," South Dakota Democratic Party Chair Randy Seiler said in the 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.”
Koskan lost twice to Heinert before, once in the 2020 election and the other in the 2018 election. Koskan's father, John Koskan, served 16 years in the state legislature.
As of Thursday afternoon, Koskan's campaign website was taken down and his Twitter account deactivated.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Child abuse charges filed against South Dakota candidate Joel Koskan
