Lt. Scott Trautner, Minn. State Trooper

[thegeek]

Lt. Scott Trautner, Minn. State Trooper, Does anyone know the out come of his arrest for seven counts of criminal sexual conduct for allegedly having sexual contact with his 15 year old babysitter?

[WaTcHeR]

I haven't read anything yet.

Your giving the Trooper Scott Trautner too much credit, the girl was 14 not 15.

[young enough]

Yea, probably right, but I read 2 news stories about it and one said 14 and the other 15. I even e-mailed the Minn. State Patrol asking the status of this case and got no answer 3 times, they must really love this turd.

[WaTcHeR]

Officer Scott Trautner

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.

[WaTcHeR]

young said:

Yea, probably right, but I read 2 news stories about it and one said 14 and the other 15. I even e-mailed the Minn. State Patrol asking the status of this case and got no answer 3 times, they must really love this turd.

Don't expect the police to give out information on one of their fellow officers! If you do hear anything back from them, they will probably say it's still under "investigation" and won't release anything.

[WaTcHeR]

06.22.2006 - A former Minnesota State Trooper is collecting thousands of dollars from the Minnesota State Retirement System despite his conviction for molesting his 14 year old babysitter.

Forty-one year old then Lieutenant Scott Trautner of Woodbury was found guilty by Washington County Judge Thomas Armstrong in December of 2005 of performing oral sex on the teenaged girl in his home in December of 2004.

Trautner is a highly decorated, 20 year veteran of the State Patrol. He applied for and received a medical disability declaring him "unable to perform his duties" shortly before his conviction for 1st Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct. The disability status allows him to receive his $4,675 per month pension years earlier than the usual age of 50 or 55. Furthermore, the benefits will continue indefinitely.

"They would be for life," explains Minnesota State Retirement System Executive Director David Bergstrom, "but each year, Mr. Trautner would have to prove that he continues to be disabled. So, he will every year have to submit medical documentation."

The nature of Trautner's disability is not disclosed as a matter of medical data privacy. Trautner faces sentencing for his felony conviction on July 7th in Judge Armstrong's court in Stillwater. He could receive 144 months in jail of which he would serve 2/3's or about 8 years. There could a $40,000 fine imposed. In addition, the jail time could be followed by ten years of parole and Trautner would have to register as a sex offender. Bergstrom says Trautner's pension benefits would not be affected by a prison sentence.

"It would not make any difference if Mr. Trautner goes to prison. We have no provision in law to suspend his benefit."

www.kare11.com/news/ts_article.aspx?storyid=125230

[thegeek]

This ass use to be on one of my boating web-sites all the time, I think his disability was that he had a twitch in one of his eyes that made him blink a lot. Some impairment isn't it? The second article says that the girl was his niece, I bet his family is so proud of him now.

A decorated former state trooper received a year in jail and a long probation Friday for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old baby sitter, who asked him in court why he did it.
Scott Trautner, 41, of Woodbury, convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in April, faced a state guidelines sentence of 12 years. But a Washington County judge stayed the 12 years and gave him 30 years' probation with conditions including a year in jail. He also has to do 3,000 hours of community service and pay about $8,000 in fines and restitution.
Before the sentencing, the victim, now 16, stood before Judge Thomas Armstrong, with Trautner seated behind her with his attorney. A victim advocate read her statement:
"I am scared that somebody will try to assault me again," she wrote. "I feel I have no control of my life. My whole life is messed up. Scott, I wish you would tell me why you did that. Why me? Why did you wait until after the trial to say you did it?"
Earlier she cried in her father's arms as her mother spoke in court about how the girl had lost friends, had nightmares about the assault, become depressed and "took 70 ibuprofen tablets to mask the pain."
Trautner had been a lieutenant; he resigned in December after about 20 years and many awards and commendations with the State Patrol. He waived a jury trial and declined an offer to plead guilty to second-degree sex assault before the trial, testifying that the girl had fabricated the assault.
Armstrong found him guilty of the first-degree charge in April but said Friday he was amenable to treatment and had shown remorse and been cooperative since his conviction. He also ordered Trautner to get a psychosexual evaluation and follow all treatment recommendations, abstain from drugs and alcohol, have no contact with the victim and register as a sex offender.
The girl testified that Trautner had oral sex with her one night.
The victim and her mother, who is also a police officer, declined to comment afterward Friday's sentencing. But prosecutor Peter Ivy, who spoke to them, said "There is some closure. They are happy it is over."
Did the former trooper get a break on a sentence without prison time?
"It is certainly not unheard-of," Ivy said. "In the end the judge makes up his own mind. I think 144 months would be the appropriate sentence."
Trautner had a family connection to the victim, and such sex assault defendants are more likely to avoid prison and receive probation, often including counseling, said both Ivy and Anne Wall, a research analyst for the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission.
Wall provided commission records showing that since 2000, about 28 percent of the 667 state offenders convicted of first-degree sexual misconduct were put on probation and most given a year or less in jail.
Armstrong said in court that he relied heavily on the opinion of psychologists who assessed Trautner. He also noted that there is "strong reason for believing that the defendant would be victimized in prison" because he had been an officer. He said the sentence provided a better chance that Trautner will "mend his ways and that society's interests will be safeguarded."
Trautner was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder a year ago due to stressful duty that included seeing two people kill themselves and others die in highway crashes.
Trautner spoke at length in court, apologizing to the girl and family members, including his wife, who is also a trooper.
"I fault myself for thinking I was above seeking help" for psychological trauma damage. "In my head I was a failure because I couldn't prevent people from dying ... I tried to get help, but I was too stubborn."
"I am sorry from the bottom of my heart," he said, facing family members. "I apologize to everyone in the family. I know I have torn everyone apart."
Trautner said the stress led to the depression disorder that he blames for his assault on the girl in his Woodbury home on Christmas Eve 2004 as his wife slept upstairs. The girl reported the assault months later at her school. "I thought I could deny the depression. I spiraled out of control. I never thought from what happened that I would do this to [the victim]," said Trautner, his voice breaking.
The victim's mother, a Minneapolis officer, wasn't moved. She said in court: "Scott, I think it is time for you to face up to the pain you have caused this family. ... You took an oath to protect and serve as an officer. I feel you have failed that oath."
Jim Adams • 612-673-7658



Scott Trautner was a state trooper on the rise in the department, until December of 2004, when the 41-year-old Lieutenant in the Minnesota State Patrol was accused of sexual assault. He was later found guilty and on Friday he was sentenced.

Judge Tom Armstrong sent Trautner to jail for one year after citing fears the ex trooper could be a target of other prisoners.

Trautner was convicted this past spring of sexually assaulting his 14-year-old niece. While state sentencing guidelines call for twelve years of prison time for such an offense, the judge said he thought the 20 year member of the State Patrol was genuinely remorseful and his talents could be better used by having him lecture various groups like drunk drivers.

Before he was sentenced, Trautner spoke for more than twenty minutes, repeatedly breaking down in tears. Traunter said the death, destruction and suicides he'd witnessed during his years as a State patrolman, resulted in Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. He never received treatment for the disorder.

Trautner looked at his now 15-year old niece with whom he's engaged in oral sex with on Christmas Eve two years ago and said, "Maybe someday you'll find it in your heart to forgive me. I never once thought that I would do this to you."

Trautner's attorney said his client was remorseful adding, "he has a lot of work to do and intends on doing that work to get well."

Prosecutor Peter Ivy questioned the sincerity of the tears Trautner shed in court. He said by not admitting guilt but forcing a trial, Trautner re-victimized his niece. "Instead of coming forward as a former law enforcement officer and saying, you know I really messed up, I need help, I'm in trouble, No, he said I want a trial and now I'm going to paint her (his niece) as this unstable, shrill, attention seeking liar so it doubled the hurt."

The victim's mother read a forceful, stinging victim impact statement prior to the sentencing. She said Trautner forced her daughter, "into the spotlight to save himself." And the girl's mother called on Trautner to face up to the pain he has caused the family.

The victim talked of losing close friends after it became known she had been molested by her uncle. The girl told of the man she trusted and loved betraying her, saying she's now scared of state troopers. She said she's afraid and depressed much of the time.

When Judge Tom Armstrong stayed the state recommended sentence of twelve years, he said, "Trautner's experiences as a trooper could be put to much better use."

In addition to 3,000 hours of community service, Trautner will spend at most a year in jail and maybe as little as a few months. His sentence could be cut in half if he's on a work program or he may be eligible for home monitoring.

He'll have to pay some $8,000 in fines and restitution and when he gets out of jail he will remain on probation for thirty years.

By Bernie Grace, KARE 11 News