Post by WaTcHeR on Apr 22, 2006 13:41:43 GMT -5
04/21/2006 - Stillwater Minnesota - A former state trooper was convicted Friday of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl.
Officer Scott Trautner, 41, was found guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct by Washington County Judge Thomas Armstrong. Trautner waived his right to a jury trial.
The former lieutenant faces a state-mandated sentence of 12 years in prison when he's sentenced July 7. As a convicted felon, he will be unable to work as a law enforcement officer.
Officer Trautner had earlier received a lifesaving award for rescuing a woman from a fire in 1993, as well 34 letters of commendation for his work.
"It is with a heavy heart that I do this," Armstrong said. "The defendant has a good record with the state but I must do what I know must be done."
The girl, now 16, had testified that Trautner had oral sex with her in his home one night when she was baby-sitting and they were watching the Playboy Channel on TV, said prosecutor Peter Ivy, an assistant Carver County Attorney.
Armstrong found officer Trautner guilty because of his "significant relationship" with the girl, a requirement to prove sexual assault by a person of authority. The judge said he did not believe the victim was physically coerced.
Ivy said Trautner testified that he didn't sexually assault the girl.
The alleged incident happened in December 2004 but the girl didn't report it until April 2005 after having a high school class on date rape and domestic assault, said Ivy, who handled the case because Washington County prosecutors had had cases in which Trautner was the arresting officer, and wanted to avoid any conflicts of interest.
Trautner, whose wife is a state trooper, resigned from the State Patrol in December. His attorney, John Pecchia, declined comment on the verdict.
06/13/2005 - A Minnesota State Trooper has been charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl who frequently babysat his son.
According to the criminal complaint, Lt. Scott Trautner was charged with seven counts of criminal sexual conduct.
In the complaint, the teen says the 40-year-old trooper assaulted her last winter in his Woodbury home that he shares with his wife, also a state trooper.
The complaint says the girl, then 14, was spending the night at Trautner's home after he took her and his four-year-old son to see Santa Claus.
The girl told investigators that she and Trautner were watching television in the basement when he turned on a porn channel. She says he then began to touch her in a sexual nature. He then undressed her and performed a sex act on her, and asked her to perform a sex on him. She refused.
The complaint alleges that Trautner continued talking sexually around the girl.
In April, after attending a domestic abuse seminar at her school, the girl told the guest speaker what had happened and the speaker reported the conversation to the school counselor.
Investigators were notified and the information gathered led to the seven counts of criminal sexual conduct.
Trautner has been a trooper for 20 years and works out of the east metro district in St. Paul. His file contains 34 letters of commendation, a patrol lifesaving award for a fire rescue in 1993 and a 2000 merit award for negotiating with an armed suspect.
Officer Scott Trautner, 41, was found guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct by Washington County Judge Thomas Armstrong. Trautner waived his right to a jury trial.
The former lieutenant faces a state-mandated sentence of 12 years in prison when he's sentenced July 7. As a convicted felon, he will be unable to work as a law enforcement officer.
Officer Trautner had earlier received a lifesaving award for rescuing a woman from a fire in 1993, as well 34 letters of commendation for his work.
"It is with a heavy heart that I do this," Armstrong said. "The defendant has a good record with the state but I must do what I know must be done."
The girl, now 16, had testified that Trautner had oral sex with her in his home one night when she was baby-sitting and they were watching the Playboy Channel on TV, said prosecutor Peter Ivy, an assistant Carver County Attorney.
Armstrong found officer Trautner guilty because of his "significant relationship" with the girl, a requirement to prove sexual assault by a person of authority. The judge said he did not believe the victim was physically coerced.
Ivy said Trautner testified that he didn't sexually assault the girl.
The alleged incident happened in December 2004 but the girl didn't report it until April 2005 after having a high school class on date rape and domestic assault, said Ivy, who handled the case because Washington County prosecutors had had cases in which Trautner was the arresting officer, and wanted to avoid any conflicts of interest.
Trautner, whose wife is a state trooper, resigned from the State Patrol in December. His attorney, John Pecchia, declined comment on the verdict.
06/13/2005 - A Minnesota State Trooper has been charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl who frequently babysat his son.
According to the criminal complaint, Lt. Scott Trautner was charged with seven counts of criminal sexual conduct.
In the complaint, the teen says the 40-year-old trooper assaulted her last winter in his Woodbury home that he shares with his wife, also a state trooper.
The complaint says the girl, then 14, was spending the night at Trautner's home after he took her and his four-year-old son to see Santa Claus.
The girl told investigators that she and Trautner were watching television in the basement when he turned on a porn channel. She says he then began to touch her in a sexual nature. He then undressed her and performed a sex act on her, and asked her to perform a sex on him. She refused.
The complaint alleges that Trautner continued talking sexually around the girl.
In April, after attending a domestic abuse seminar at her school, the girl told the guest speaker what had happened and the speaker reported the conversation to the school counselor.
Investigators were notified and the information gathered led to the seven counts of criminal sexual conduct.
Trautner has been a trooper for 20 years and works out of the east metro district in St. Paul. His file contains 34 letters of commendation, a patrol lifesaving award for a fire rescue in 1993 and a 2000 merit award for negotiating with an armed suspect.