DANTE - A Dante man was charged with first-degree rape of a minor for incidents that allegedly occurred from 2007 to 2012.
Aaron Beeson, 20, was arrested on July 6 and has been charged with two counts of first-degree rape, which means the victim was less than 13 years old, for initiating several forms of sexual contact with a young girl in two Dante residences over the course of several years, court documents state.
According to court documents, the girl, now 16, told law enforcement the incidents began when she was in third grade and continued until the summer of 2012.
She then participated in a recorded phone call with Beeson, who allegedly apologized for his actions. Beeson also said "the thought of it destroys him every day, so he tries not to think about it," court documents state.
First-degree rape of a child less than 13 years old is a class C felony, punishable upon conviction by up to life in prison and a $50,000 fine. Beeson is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
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Although Beeson was 16 when the alleged incidents ended, South Dakota codified law states "any delinquent child sixteen years of age or older against whom class A, class B, class C, class 1, or class 2 felony charges have been filed shall be tried in circuit court as an adult."
The defendant may request a transfer hearing for the case to be heard in juvenile court, in which there would be a "rebuttable presumption" that it is the public's best interest for the defendant to be tried as an adult. The Charles Mix State's Attorney's Office expects the defense to motion for a transfer hearing after Beeson's arraignment.
