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South Dakota Senate candidate accused of sexual child grooming gets 10 years

Joel Koskan had originally been offered no penitentiary time by state

Joe Sneve's avatar
Joe Sneve
Apr 11, 2023
∙ Paid
Joel Koskan leaves a Pierre courtroom in hand cuffs Tuesday after receiving a 10 year prison sentence. (Austin Goss / Dakota News Now)

A former Republican politico and Senate candidate who allegedly spent years grooming a Native American foster child has been sentenced to a decade of prison time.

Sixth Circuit Judge Margo Northrup issued a 10-year sentence — with no suspended time — to Joel Koskan after the Mellette County man pled guilty to two charges of incest Tuesday morning in a Hughes County courtroom.

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