South Dakota legislative candidate facing felony charges

November 4, 2022

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A Republican candidate for the South Dakota Legislature was charged Thursday with child abuse for allegedly exposing a minor to sexual grooming behavior.

A criminal complaint filed Thursday by the state attorney general’s office charged Joel Koskan with exposing an unnamed person to “sexual grooming behaviors” over a period of several years. He faces a class 4 felony, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Koskan is required to appear in a Mellette County court on Monday.

The South Dakota Democrat Party called on Koskan to end his campaign.

Koskan is running in a state Senate district that includes parts of the Rosebud, Crow Creek and Lower Brule Indian Reservations. His opponent is Democrat Shawn Bordeaux, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe who has served three terms in the state House.