WORTHINGTON - Chad Straatmeyer, 41, of Sioux Falls S.D., appeared Tuesday afternoon in Nobles County District Court for a contested omnibus hearing in his child solicitation case.
Straatmeyer, a South Dakota Corrections employee, made his first appearance Feb. 21. He’s facing three felony counts of child soliciting, engaging in electronic communication relating to sexual conduct with a child and distributing via electronic communication material that relates sexual conduct to a child.
According to court documents, an undercover agent (UC) of the Minnesota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (MICAC) who was pretending to be 14 years old was communicating with Straatmeyer through Skout, a social media application, on Feb. 7. The conversation between the UC and Straatmeyer was sexual in nature.
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Straatmeyer agreed to meet the UC at a Worthington address on Feb. 9. As soon as he exited the vehicle that day, he was arrested and taken to the Nobles County Jail.
During an interview with the officers, Straatmeyer claimed he only want to talk to the child.
Straatmeyer’s lawyer brought probable cause into question on one count as well as an incorrect reading of Straatmeyer’s Miranda rights. The defense and the prosecution agreed to file their responses in the next couple of weeks.
Straatmeyer was arraigned on all his charges during Tuesday’s hearing. He was provisionally arraigned on his charges in the event Judge Gordon Moore rules against the request. Straatmeyer pleaded not guilty on all charges and requested a three-day jury trial in the matter.
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The maximum sentence on his three felony charges is no more than three years in jail, a fine no more than $5,000 or both.
