PIERRE.S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has announced that Joel Koskan of Mellette County was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in the state penitentiary after pleading guilty to two felony counts of incest.
Koskan pleaded guilty Tuesday before Circuit Court Judge Margo Northrup in the Hughes County Courthouse in Pierre. The defendant waived his right to a delay in his sentencing and was immediately sentenced by Judge Northrup. He was remanded to the custody of the Mellette County Sheriff to begin his prison sentence.
The charges stem from a relationship that the defendant had with a minor. Each incest charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Judge Northrup ordered the sentences to be served consecutively. The defendant also was ordered to pay more than $20,000 in fines.
“Justice has been served in this case because the victim overcame extraordinary conditions to cooperate with the prosecution,” said Attorney General Jackley. “We applaud the victim for her courage and praise the difficult work of the investigators and prosecutors.”
Agencies involved in this case included the Attorney General’s Office and its State Division of Criminal Investigation.
Koskan unsuccessfully ran for the South Dakota Senate in 2022.
