SIOUX FALLS - State investigators who have analyzed a
computer used by a former state lawmaker accused of rape and other
sex crimes say Ted Klaudt, 49, attempted the online solicitation of
young girls.
The Walker rancher allegedly used the name "studman" in one
instance to ask a 14-year-old girl to send webcam photos of
herself.
And he allegedly used the name "thephotoman" while pretending
to be a 21-year-old modeling agent, supposedly asking a 15-year-old
girl to send photos for a pornographic movie.
Authorities say those allegations are given credence by an
interview with an 18-year-old female who said Klaudt offered to
take photos of her and a 16-year-old sister with sex toys in order
to build modeling portfolios.
The charges against Klaudt, both in Corson County, where he
lives, and Hughes County while he was in the Legislature, involve
girls in foster care. At least one of the allegations involved a
girl when she was a page during a lawmaking session.
Klaudt, a Republican, has pleaded not guilty to all of the
charges. Each rape count carries a maximum punishment of 25 years
in prison.
The teenage girls told authorities that Klaudt touched their
breasts and penetrated their vaginas during exams for a scheme in
which he said they could make money by selling their reproductive
eggs.
Oct. 30 has been set as the start of Klaudt's trial in Hughes
County. No trial date has yet been established on the Corson County
charges.
