Joel Koskan appears in court this morning to answer to the charge that he continually raped his adopted daughter for several years. His wife Sally, who from the daughter’s statement to police appears to have countenanced her husband’s abuse of their daughter, may appear at his side.
If the Koskans are both out of the house this morning, it may be a good time for the Department of Social Services to check in on the Koskans’ four kids who are still at home and make sure they haven’t been victimized.
I do not know what the law says about letting a defendant in a rape and incest trial remain in charge of children in his home. But SDCL 25-5-16 appears to authorize “officers of the poor” (like, I would guess, DSS) to bring a civil action to establish abuse and get a judge to free children from the dominion of a parent who has abused his authority. SDCL 26-8A-2 defines abuse as exposure to a home environment that is injurious to a child’s welfare, and DSS could make a case that living with a parent who thinks having sex with his children is acceptable makes for an injurious environment. SDCL 26-8A-9 allows DSS and police to interview children outside the presence of their parents without advance notice or consent, so even if the Koskans bring their other kids to court, DSS could easily ask the children to step into a side office for a conversation while Dad and Mom tear up in the courtroom.
If a parent will abuse one child, can we trust that parent not to abuse his other children? Perhaps the Koskan children need to spend time at some other relatives’ house… or perhaps the court needs to keep Joel Koskan in jail until his trial.
I’d think all this would require social services to step in, and I’m wondering why they haven’t already (if they haven’t)
sv123-you are thinking correctly, and I wonder also why the RC Journal, the Argus and others haven’t ran this story yet?!
I would assume automatic removal of all dependents pending the outcome of the trial. It was discouraging how low Joel’s bail was set. Incest and rape are never taken that serious in SD, disturbingly. The young woman’s allegations have all the telltale signs of truth. Her statements lack any inharmonious components. The mom needs to be charged for facilitating abuse and knowingly keeping house with a predator where children are present. The whole thing, so far, shows the essential need for reform of our family courts and adoption practices. SD is an exemplary demonstration of how to make children the perfect victims. No voice, no rights, no protection, no benefactors, no safety net, no phone number to call grandma, no phone, not even any safe havens. SD is place to be a kid.
*SD is a scary place to be a kid.
Cory, SX123, and Jake are asking the obvious, inevitable, and right questions; mine is “which home ARE the kids in?” The Mellette County, Wood, or Watertown home(s)? It’s not a silly question if you think about it from a law enforcement or social services standpoint.
Cory, in my experience it would be normal practice for a Judge to issue a bond condition requiring the defendant to stay away from all children pending trial where the defendant was charged with alleged sexual crimes against children. And, DSS child protection normally will remove children from a home where an alleged perpetrator is residing, as well as from a home where they find reasonable cause to conclude the custodial parent has failed to provide a safe environment by taking reasonable steps to protect the children from abuse by an adult.
*SD is a scary place to be a kid. – All Mammal
You’ve prolly not heard the story of why I left SD. As a teenager one night (1972) pretty late I was out driving around town because I couldn’t smoke cigarettes in my Mom’s house. I pulled behind an industrial building and witnessed a local cop receiving oral sex from a teenage girl from Webster, in his city police cruiser. I personally knew her, so I was 100% sure it was her.
The next day I was summoned before said cop and told that if I ever mentioned the incident, I’d be branded a liar and my life would be a living hell and I’d end up in jail, somehow. Undoubtedly by planting drugs in my car. Then I was told I had a week to move away, or the blackmail would begin.
You are correct, AM. SD is a scary place to be a kid.
I don’t think even calling grandma would get a kid out of trouble that involves cop threats. P. Aitch- not even Johnny Cochran can manage to exonerate those charges. And who has a duffel bag full of enough cash to buy their freedom? Going across town on a Friday after 9 pm is proof They won. Not a soul in sight. Streets are empty. No young people bar hopping. No shoppers meeting up to grab a bite. It should be shameful to see for our leaders. It shows how they have failed to protect us and ensure we feel safe to go out. It isn’t fear of lawless highwaymen. Its fear of police and the loss of freedom. I know what the cop cruisers are up to when they drive off the road and onto the bike path and stay parked beneath the bridges, out of sight for long periods of time. Makes me sick because exposing it does nothing but put a target on your own back. Hope that cop contracted an STD and it ravaged him quickly.
I have family in Breckenridge, CO. It is so beautiful and Walmart would have killed it. My cousin’s house had a tower at the top with a little loft. We used to think she must be a millionaire to have a house with that view. She was like, “Heck no! We’re broke renters.”
All Mammal – Breck is a pretty mountain town, for sure. Breckenridge Brewery outgrew it, and expansion was voted down by Breckenridge voters. Because the brewery is now nationwide distribution, they moved down to a suburb of the city where they had room to expand fully. And they chose my Little Town. Here’s the property now that it’s a brewery, restaurant, concert venue.
https://www.breckbrew.com/visit/littleton/#id=holiday-photos
Bonnie Fairbank writes:
But it’s a little silly if you think about it from the standpoint that Wood is in Mellette County.
From Dakota News Now:
Let’s make a deal?!!!? So soon????
https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/2022/11/07/sd-senate-candidate-attends-preliminary-hearing-sexual-assault-allegations/
https://ujs.sd.gov/Sixth_Circuit/Links/Counties.aspx?SD8NTJQCeKtPiCf7fX3Do03crGiheziIijVZa8oR7nE%3D
It’s Mellette County. My bet would be this case is dragged out for a year or more then fades away. 30 days jail tops.
It IS quite silly on my part, Kurt, because I made an assumption and did not get my SD atlas out. I stand corrected.
I know a couple from Lincoln county who have been charged with child abuse (physical) because their daughter is pathologically unable to tell the truth when confronted. Been an ongoing issue for years until her motives of emancipation met opportunity. After her parents once again reported her as missing, she turned back up to the house early morning in a bedraggled state after having spent the previous day and evening driving around with a young man who ditched her to walk the ten country miles home in the dark. Once there, an argument ensued and the girl went to bed. Next day at school, while explaining her absence, she was asked about a bruise on her thigh.
“Had she been abused?”
Of course.
What she neglected to say was that as part of the previous night’s festivities, she had stabbed herself in the thigh with 4 separate epi-pens she had for emergency medical purposes. The blood thinners she’s on didn’t help the bruising.
Fast forward 8 months and the couple has had their three kids taken from them, their names and faces splashed all over the media as facing charges, had to sell their home, cars and boat to defend themselves and been threatened with convictions of up to 10 years if they didn’t take a plea deal.
This all as the prosecutors refuse to even move the case out of discovery.
Because they got nothing.
In the meantime, the girl continues to spiral, arrested for alcohol, hospitalized for alcohol, tested for STDs, missing school, athletics, work etc. All in the benevolent care of those deemed fit by by the state to oversee the child.
Quite a system they got going down there in Lincoln county.
I wish the Koskan children all the best. Justice can be hard to find at times.
What a splendid narrative.
Cory’s post about the proposed plea bargain indicated the Judge will take that under advisement and meanwhile the Judge required Koskan to post a $100,000 and to stay away from the victim and other children under 18, but permitted Koskan to continue to have contact with his own remaining children that apparently live with him.
https://dakotafreepress.com/2022/11/08/state-not-requiring-koskan-to-register-as-sex-offender/
The $100,000 bond seems to be substantial and likely based on the seriousness of the crime and Koskan’s danger to the community, especially since the Judge apparently found that Koskan is not a flight risk, which typically would substantially reduce the need for a high dollar defendant’s bond. Thus it would seem the Judge decided Koskan posed a danger to both his daughter and other children due to the high bond and order requiring him to stay away from them. The high bond and no contact order makes it somewhat puzzling why the Judge did not also deem Koskan a risk of danger to his own remaining children, especially since his alleged abuse was perpetrated on one of his own children, and order him to stay away from them too pending the resolution of the case.
Mr. H is no doubt dabbling at the heavy apps at Extreme Mr. Smith’s watch party in Sioux Falls, and not blogging, but if he were he’d be taking notice that the anti-demon-weed group headed by Ms. Milstead has people swilling beer at their watch party. My good friend Bob would be incensed.