WHITE RIVER, SD — Just days before the midterm elections, a Republican nominee for the South Dakota state senate in next week’s election has been charged with child abuse.
Joel M. Koskan was charged Thursday with multiple sexual acts against his adopted daughter.
Koskan’s challenger in the District 26 senatorial race is current state representative Shawn Bordeaux, an enrolled Rosebud Sioux tribe.
South Dakota’s Assistant Attorney General Mandy Miller filed Thursday charges against Koskan for rape, sexual contact with a child under the age of 16, and a child with aggravated incest.
According to court documents obtained Thursday by Native News Online, the crimes began in 2014, when the adopted child was placed in the home at age 12. The victim was interviewed by police earlier this year and stated that she had been adopted by Joel and Sally Koskan 10 years ago. Realizing what inappropriate touching was while attending a summer youth camp in the Black Hills, she told camp counselors that her adopted father, Joel, had a sexual interest in her and that he wanted to be sexually intimate with her.
Due to the uncertainty of South Dakota’s foster care system, she shared with investigators that when the camp notified the South Dakota Department of Social Services, she declined to release any further information.
Summer camp kept her in the Black Hills for two more weeks. She told investigators that when she returned home, her parents were angry with her and accused her of trying to break up the family. She said touching her dad stopped for a year or two and her mom, Sally, started watching Joel’s interactions more closely.
On her return from the camp, a camera was placed in her house, allowing her father to constantly follow her live on his mobile phone. She later told her parents that a camera in her room made her very uncomfortable, but was told her requests were “disrespectful.”
In her statement to police, she stated that her adoptive father closely monitored her actions and what she wore, including whether or not she was wearing a bra. In addition, as a teenager, he had her straddle him while wearing only a nightgown with no clothes underneath.
It wasn’t until she was 17 that she admitted to Joel penetrating her vagina with his fingers, which eventually led to multiple intercourse at the family’s separate homes in Mellette County and Watertown, South Dakota.
According to court documents, researcher Shane Hardie, an Internet crime investigator for children in South Dakota, examined the victim’s mobile device. Investigators confirmed that multiple text messages had been recorded referring to her phone’s GPS tracking and video surveillance of her daily activities. Investigators also noted in the complaint that on May 6, 2022, a text message from Joel stated, “you promised you would never do this,” and “I beg you, you don’t want to do this.”
Koskan was subpoenaed today and court records show he was taken into custody. An initial hearing took place in a Mellette County courtroom on Nov. 7. If convicted on the charges, he faces up to 15 years in prison and fines of up to $20,000.
“These allegations about Joel Koskan are deeply disturbing and he must end his campaign immediately,” SD Republican party chairman Randy Seiler said in a statement on Thursday. “While he will still appear on the ballot, the choice for District 26 voters could not be clearer. Aside from partisan politics, Joel Koskan should not vote in legislature on issues affecting children in South Dakota — or any issues for that matter.
There are numerous reports that the victim was registered with a tribe in South Dakota, but due to the confidentiality and sensitive nature of the crimes involving a minor at the time of the crimes, Native News Online cannot confirm whether the victim was registered with a local tribe. .
EDITOR’S NOTE: In cases of alleged sex crimes, Native News Online works to protect the identity and privacy of alleged victims and/or witnesses in our reporting. Because of this policy, some identifying details have been deliberately omitted from this story.
About the Author: “Darren Thompson (Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe) is a staff reporter for Native News Online based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Thompson has reported for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network on political unrest, tribal sovereignty and indigenous issues, Indian Country Today, Native News Online, Powwows.com and Unicorn Riot. He has contributed to the New York Times, the Washington Post and Voice of America on various Indigenous issues in international conversation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminology & Law Studies from the Marquette University at Milwaukee, Wisconsin.”
Contact: [email protected]
