Victims of Sexual Crimes

There are a variety of sex crimes under South Dakota law. The Brookings County State’s Attorney’s Office prosecutes each sexual offense emphatically. If you feel that you or someone you know has been a victim of any type of sex crime, please contact the Brookings Police Department at 605-692-2113 or the Brookings Sheriff’s Department at 605-696-8300. Our Victim / Witness Assistant, Cara Crowe, is trained in working with adult and child victims of a variety of crimes, including sexual offenses.

Rape

Rape, one of the most common sexual offenses, is defined under South Dakota Codified Law § 22-22-1, as an act of sexual penetration accomplished with any person under any of the following circumstances:

• If the victim is less than 13 years of age
• If the victim is incapable, because of physical or mental incapacity, of giving consent to such act
• If the victim is incapable of giving consent because of any intoxicating, narcotic, or anesthetic agent or hypnosis
• If the victim is 13 years of age, but less than 16 years of age, and the perpetrator is at least three years older than the victim
• Through the use of force, coercion, or threats of immediate and great bodily harm against the victim or other persons within the victim’s presence, accompanied by apparent power of execution

Other Sexual Offenses

Other sexual offenses which are prosecuted by this office include:

• Failure to register as a convicted sex offender
• Possession of child pornography
• Sexual contact with a child under 16
• Sexual contact with person incapable of consenting
• Sexual contact without consent of person capable of consenting
• Sexual exploitation of a minor