<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en-US"><head><meta charset="UTF-8"><meta http-equiv='content-language' content='en-us'/><title>SDLRC - Codified Law 22-22-7.8 - Sexual contact with child under eighteen--Penalty--Position of authority--Family member--Limitation.</title><meta name="Generator" content="PowerTools for Open XML"><style>span { white-space: pre-wrap; } p.sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0Normal { text-indent: 0.50in; text-align: justify; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 108%; margin-top: 0; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: .001pt; } span.sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0SENU { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; } span.sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0CL { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; } p.sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0Statute { text-indent: 0.50in; 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text-align: justify; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 108%; margin-top: 0; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: .001pt; } span.sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0DefaultParagraphFont-000001 { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; } span.sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0SCL { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0; padding: 0; } body { text-decoration-skip-ink: none; } </style><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"><meta property="og:title" content="SD 22-22-7.8 - Sexual contact with child under eighteen--Penalty--Position of authority--Family member--Limitation."><meta property="og:description" content="SDLRC Codified Law 22-22-7.8 - Sexual contact with child under eighteen--Penalty--Position of authority--Family member--Limitation."><meta property="og:type" content="website"><meta property="og:url" content="https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/22-22-7.8"><meta property="og:image" content="https://lawmakerdocuments.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/photos/logoshape.webp"><meta property="og:site_name" content="South Dakota Legislature"></head><body><div><p dir="ltr" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0Normal"><a href="https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes?Statute=22-22-7.8" rel="noopener"><span class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0SENU">22-22-7.8</span></a><span xml:space="preserve" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0SENU">. </span><span class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0CL">Sexual contact with child under eighteen--Penalty--Position of authority--Family member--Limitation.</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0Statute"><span class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0DefaultParagraphFont">A person is guilty of a Class 6 felony if the person:</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0StatuteNumber1"><span class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0DefaultParagraphFont">(1)    Is at least eighteen years of age;</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0StatuteNumber1"><span class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0DefaultParagraphFont">(2)    Is at least five years older than the victim;</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0StatuteNumber1"><span xml:space="preserve" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0DefaultParagraphFont">(3)    Is in a position of authority, as defined in this section, or is a family member related by consanguinity or affinity within the fifth degree, as defined by § </span><a href="https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes?Statute=23A-20-30" rel="noopener"><span class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0DefaultParagraphFont">23A-20-30</span></a><span class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0DefaultParagraphFont">, to the victim; and</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0StatuteNumber1"><span class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0DefaultParagraphFont">(4)    Knowingly engages in sexual contact, or touches the buttocks or upper inner thighs of the victim with the intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of the person or the victim, with a victim who is:</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0StatuteNumber2"><span class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0DefaultParagraphFont">(a)    Less than eighteen years of age; and</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0StatuteNumber2"><span class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0DefaultParagraphFont">(b)    Not the person's spouse.</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0Statute"><span class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0DefaultParagraphFont">For purposes of this section, a person is in a position of authority if the person, at the time of the sexual contact, or within the one-hundred-twenty-day period immediately preceding the sexual contact, interacts, no matter how briefly, with the victim as a coach, child care provider, disability services provider, guardian ad litem, health care provider, law enforcement officer, mental health counselor, probation officer, religious leader, school administrator, social worker, teacher, therapist, or youth leader.</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0Statute"><span xml:space="preserve" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0DefaultParagraphFont">Notwithstanding § </span><a href="https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes?Statute=23A-42-2" rel="noopener"><span class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0DefaultParagraphFont">23A-42-2</span></a><span class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0DefaultParagraphFont">, a charge pursuant to this section may be brought at any time before the victim reaches the age of twenty-five or within seven years from the commission of the crime, whichever is longer.</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0Normal"><span xml:space="preserve" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0000000"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0NoIndent"><span xml:space="preserve" class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0DefaultParagraphFont-000001">Source: </span><span class="sa6c8d154599a46deaf6ba8fb0060ffb0SCL">SL 2021, ch 97, § 1; SL 2022, ch 65, § 1; SL 2025, ch 93, § 1.</span></p></div></body></html>