Minnesota man sentenced for alleged repeated sexual assault of child with mental impairment

CALEDONIA — A 66-year-old La Crescent man, who was accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a mentally impaired 18-year-old starting when she was 13, was sentenced in Houston County District Court.

David Laverne Twite was charged with two counts of criminal sexual conduct and one count of engaging in stalking, all felonies.

In April, Twite entered a guilty plea on one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was sentenced on Aug. 7 to two years of prison, which is stayed for 10 years. Twite is under supervised probation for those 10 years.

Twite was accused of repeatedly assaulting the now-adult woman over the course of five years, starting when she was 13, according to the criminal complaint.

The woman is considered mentally impaired, according to Minnesota Statute, and she has mild to moderate developmental cognitive disability and is speech language impaired. When she turned 18, an adult guardianship was granted in Dakota County.

The woman’s mother reported the assaults to the La Crescent Police Department on April 22, 2022.

Most of the alleged sexual assaults occurred in Dakota County but one incident occurred in the man’s La Crescent apartment, according to the criminal complaint.

Police found several sexually explicit text messages and notes between Twite and the woman on her cell phone.

Twite denied sexually assaulting the woman during a May 10, 2022, interview with law enforcement but said he could have accidentally touched her inappropriately while wrestling around, the complaint said.

The criminal complaint said that on Nov. 2, 2022, an investigator learned that Twite’s girlfriend had contacted the woman’s mother to say that Twite was offering the mother $10,000 to “drop the charges.”

When the investigator went to question Twite about the bribe at his apartment, he saw the investigator and slammed his door, refusing to come out, the complaint said.

Those experiencing sexual exploitation can call a 24-hour crisis line at 507-289-0636 to speak to someone who can direct you towards help.

))>