GIBBON, Minn. (TEE) – When the pastor of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Moltke Township, rural Gibbon, was approached by a Wisconsin church in late April and asked to transfer there and be their pastor, the St. Peter’s congregation was at a loss of words. A former Gibbon pastor has been found guilty of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl.
A Sibley County District Court jury Friday found David Radtke, 52, guilty of two counts of third-degree and two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.
According to court documents, Radtke engaged in sexual activity on multiple occasions with the girl, a Spanish exchange student who lived with the Radtke family.
The girl told authorities Radtke gave her back rubs and groped her sexually, on one occasion awakening to find Radtke’s hand inside her underwear.
The girl, who testified at the trial, said similar encounters followed, with Radtke initially denying wrongdoing to family members but later admitting to his acts when questioned by investigators.
Radtke testified during the trial that he gave the girl late-night back massages and accidentally touched her inappropriately and briefly upon awakening after he fell asleep with her laying across his lap.
He said he apologized and asked for forgiveness, which she refused.
Radtke was arrested May 23.
He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 20.
He was the pastor of a rural Gibbon Lutheran church.
'via Blog this'
The Free Press
GIBBON — New charges have been filed against a Lutheran pastor from Gibbon accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl.
David Radtke, 52, has been charged with stalking and intercepting electronics communications.
Last month he was charged in Sibley County District Court with third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving the girl, a foreign exchange student who had been living with the Radtke family since last summer.
The latest charges allege the girl’s cellphone was to be turned over to investigators but ended up at the Radtke residence instead.
Emails forwarded from the phone to the Radtkes’ personal emails indicated the girl’s emails were being monitored, allegedly to hunt for information to discredit her accounts of the assaults.
According to the criminal complaint, Radtke’s wife told investigators the Radtkes were paying the bill on the girl’s phone and therefore believed they had a right to monitor her emails.
Under the original charges, Radtke stands accused of engaging in sexual activity on multiple occasions with the girl.
The girl told investigators on one occasion she awakened to find Radtke groping her.
The girl said similar encounters followed with Radtke initially denying any wrongdoing to family members but later admitting to his acts when questioned by investigators.
Radtke was arrested May 23.
http://m.mankatofreepress.com/MFP/db_268556/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=oBIzwEwE
Even more details are here.
This LCMS DP was trained in Church Growth at The Sausage Factory, Mequon, and could have been his new boss, if he had not been arrested. See the call report.
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The defense:
Diane Radtke told the jury that she asked the female if she felt safe and that told the vistim that she would not allow David to be alone in the house with her any longer. Both David and Diane stated that they felt the touch was inappropriate but "certainly not a crime".
The defense asked many questions about the female victim to establish that she had lied about smoking to the family and maybe could not be believed.
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GJ - WELS and Missouri follow the same strategy - attack the victim of the crime.
