New Low: State Senator Arrested for Raping His Own Foster Children

[Lemur]

This must be some sort of new low for American politics. I'm not easily able to think of a more hideous crime committed by a standing politician. If you've got kids, you may want to sit down before clicking the button below.

Former SD Legislator Arrested On Sex Charges

A former South Dakota lawmaker is accused of molesting his own foster children and legislative pages.

Ted Klaudt, 49, a Republican rancher from Walker, faces a long list of charges: eight counts of rape, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of witness tampering, sexual contact with a person under 16, and stalking.

Court documents mention five possible victims. Three were foster children between the ages of 15 and 19 who lived with Klaudt's family. One is a cousin of one of those girls, and the fifth is a friend of Klaudt's daughter.

In the most disturbing accusation, the girls say Klaudt had them convinced they could earn up to $20,000 by donating their eggs to a fertility clinic. And even though he has no medical training, the girls say Klaudt did all the supposed "exams" and "procedures" himself.

Former State Representative Ted Klaudt is accused of manipulating, molesting, intimidating and threatening teenage girls who the state of South Dakota paid him to raise.

Lou Raguse: Ted what do you have to say about these charges?
Klaudt: No comment.
Lou: All your voters over the years? What do you want them to know?
Klaudt: (no response)

The first victim to come forward told investigators Klaudt offered to earn her enough money to pay for college by helping her donate her eggs to a fertility clinic. She says Klaudt used a fake email address from the supposed clinic agent to trick her into letting him perform what's supposed to be a surgical procedure.

The victims say Klaudt touched them while they were foster children at his home here in Walker. But the girls say the molestation also happened in Pierre during legislative sessions while some of them also served as pages.

Five different girls now say Klaudt did things ranging from manual "breast exams" to the painful procedure of actually going inside of them with a speculum and collecting body fluids. The girls say when they cried, Klaudt gave them a beer and told them to toughen up.

Lou: Ted, do you deny the accusations?
Klaudt: (no response)

He's not telling us anything. But when investigators questioned him in February. He admitted to much of what the girls allege, including sending messages from the fake email account. Klaudt told investigators the girls asked him to help them donate the eggs. But he admits never sending off a specimen.

Inside his home, investigators found Klaudt's briefcase filled with all the tools the girls say he used in his supposed "exams."

The charges reflect alleged crimes against two of the five girls. The most serious of the crimes, 2nd degree rape, carries up to 50 years in prison.

Friday, Klaudt's bail was set at $100,000 on the Hughes County charges. He was taken to jail, where he'll be held until he can make bail.

Below are links to the affidavit and warrant documents.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

As a Catholic, I do not support the death penalty.

Some days, that is harder than others.

[Strike For The South]

As a protestant. I have no qualms with the death penalty.

Some days its easier than others

[Seamus Fermanagh]

As a protestant. I have no qualms with the death penalty.

Some days its easier than others

Well turned my young Texan friend.


You have a refreshingly direct quality about you that is familiar -- I always did enjoy chatting with the native Texans when I lived there.

[Strike For The South]

Well turned my young Texan friend.


You have a refreshingly direct quality about you that is familiar -- I always did enjoy chatting with the native Texans when I lived there.

I'd make a bad polotician . Saying what I feel has always been eaiser.

[Csargo]

I agree with Strike.

[Ice]

As a Catholic, I do not support the death penalty.

Some days, that is harder than others.

Nah, no need to. There are worse things than death. Fine him heavily and send him to prison for the rest of his life where he gets raped daily. Also, make him do hard manual labor. Like I said, we can do better than the death penalty.

[Strike For The South]

Nah, no need to. There are worse things than death. Fine him heavily and send him to prison for the rest of his life where he gets raped daily. Also, make him do hard manual labor. Like I said, we can do better than the death penalty.

Or we could tie a stone to his legs and drown him. No burden on the taxpayer. As the economist you are you should think of money right?

[AntiochusIII]

Or we could tie a stone to his legs and drown him. No burden on the taxpayer. As the economist you are you should think of money right?

Dead bodies in local waters tend to be sources of disease.

The crime is heinous; I cannot understand the mentality of those who act upon such urges. Why?

Whatever the case, being former Senator won't likely protect him from the law. It is ultimately rather sad though, no full redress can ever be given to the abused children by anyone, ever.

[Ice]

As the economist you are you should think of money right?

It's more completed than that though. The amount of labor he preforms in his lifetime could pay everything we spend to keep him alive.

[Samurai Waki]

I still like the idea of making him eat his limbs, and if he follows through with sed task, we might give him the honor of death.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Well, assuming even a tenth of what has been alleged is true, I hope this fellow never sees the light of day again -- save by looking up from a walled exercise yard.

He needs a lot of time for prayer.

[ShadeHonestus]

This must be some sort of new low for American politics. I'm not easily able to think of a more hideous crime committed by a standing politician. If you've got kids, you may want to sit down before clicking the button below.

Fortunately its not a new low, by far, for the foster kid program or by the citizens that our politicians represent. I still keep hoping we've already hit bottom there, yet we keep coming up with worse stuff.

[KafirChobee]

Fortunately its not a new low, by far, for the foster kid program or by the citizens that our politicians represent. I still keep hoping we've already hit bottom there, yet we keep coming up with worse stuff.

Agree, and there in lies the problem ... screening of foster parents. In most States it is a simple background check, no pschologic sit down or even a test (that is realistic). That someone would want to take in the problem children of others, or wards of the state ... is a wonder. Most do it for what ever - you tell me, no doubt some portion to serve children in need of a proper home.
The problem as I perceive it is the bureaucracy (ies) overseeing the operation. They are undermanned (as are all social services), self serving, and in some cases just plain lazy. It is one of those things that can't necessarily be solved by legislation, but needs to be given some sort of common sense rationality. I mean, all it takes for a child to be taken away from a caring parent and put into the "system" is an accusation from someone that hates them - the parent (s) ends up on the defensive and while they prove themselves their kids are tossed into the "system" (which includes foster care). The idea that a child is better off without their parent stems from a fubar in the FDR admin. - and it has been propagated as a good thing ever since. Investigating true child abuse is a curiousity at best - especially today when an angry child can dial 911 after being spanked for burning down the garage, and the parent be arrested because of that call. Then the local media gets to work on the "item", and suddenly the parents are monsters - never the child, with a serious pyro problem (or what ever). Regardless, before committing judgement on any case - wait long enough to find out if there are alternative motives, from the kid (s) making the accusation.

In this case? He's a sick f', since he's already admitted it. But, what put these kids into the sytem that allowed this guy to cherry pick his foster kids?

That this particular individual had the notoriety of being an elected official makes it news worthy. Other such incidents are covered up by the fostercare system. It is at it was created, in 1933 - and not much has changed.

[Crazed Rabbit]

I may be a Catholic born in Ohio, but I'm in full agreement with the Texas Protestant. *tips hat to Strike*

Dead bodies in local waters tend to be sources of disease.

Sounds like we may need to use an ocean on this one. That fellow does look like he has a lot of body mass.

There are worse things than death.

But not Hell. Let's let Satan take the burden off American taxpayers.*

Crazed Rabbit
*That sounds really weird, doesn't it?

[AntiochusIII]

I may be a Catholic born in Ohio, but I'm in full agreement with the Texas Protestant. *tips hat to Strike*

Christians and Americans; not a world apart, man :)

Sounds like we may need to use an ocean on this one. That fellow does look like he has a lot of body mass.

And ruin my sushi? Hell no!

When you look like that, molestation might seem like a valid option for receiving female attention... yuk!

While I'm quite sure that obesity is a rather...personal subject for the average American, this guy clearly has a problem with it. Such extremities are the norm in America, though. We have anorexics and we have the unbelievably oversized, not that this is relevant to the topic at hand.

*******

I wonder, though, for those of you more experienced in the world than I am: What makes people act out those disturbing desires and continuously push them to the limit? Is it an entanglement? A lack of conscience? A one-time slip that, upon committing, cannot be stopped? Or is it malicious planning, as the choice of foster children might suggest?

The last part in particular, if true, baffles me.

[Odin]

I wonder, though, for those of you more experienced in the world than I am: What makes people act out those disturbing desires and continuously push them to the limit? Is it an entanglement? A lack of conscience? A one-time slip that, upon committing, cannot be stopped? Or is it malicious planning, as the choice of foster children might suggest?

Its all that and accessability. When I was in high school many moons ago a pretty good friend of mine's father was busted for molesting his daughter (and my friend).

It was hard at 15 to comprehend and deal with for me as a buddy, I can only imagine how he felt, actually I know how he felt it was shame. They ended up moving. I think it comes down to creating a situation of control/power and accessability to someone in a weaker position.

A foster parent/child relationship seems the perfect fit. Others have mentioned thier faith in context to what should happen, well Im not christian, jewish, muslim i've been a pagan for years but have employed compassion when I can and when its meritted.

in this case this person should be sent away for long long time and his victims given counsul. If they gave him the death penalty, i'd sleep fine at night too.

[doc_bean]

Was he strongly opposed to homosexuals ? Those always seem to be the freaky ones..

Five different girls now say Klaudt did things ranging from manual "breast exams" to the painful procedure of actually going inside of them with a speculum and collecting body fluids. The girls say when they cried, Klaudt gave them a beer and told them to toughen up.

Damn, that's pretty sick. It isn't especially cruel or sadistic (compared to actual rape), but it's just twisted.

I wonder, though, for those of you more experienced in the world than I am: What makes people act out those disturbing desires and continuously push them to the limit? Is it an entanglement? A lack of conscience? A one-time slip that, upon committing, cannot be stopped? Or is it malicious planning, as the choice of foster children might suggest?

The last part in particular, if true, baffles me.

I think it's somewhat of a slippery slope thing. It's a probably always been a fantasy of his, but then many people have weird and slightly twisted fantasies. But then he decided to have foster children, so he could live the fantasy a little more, he probably told himself he'd never actually do it, the fist few years. But then his imagination wasn't enough, perhaps he just bought the medical instruments at first so he could jack off looking at them next to a picture of one of the girls, and then perhaps finally he caved and actually went ahead and did it, after which point he couldn't stop himself anymore.

At least that's the way I understand it happens with some pedophiles, others just never seem to have tried to resist though. He might be one of the latter and have planned it all along.

[English assassin]

Let's let Satan take the burden off American taxpayers.*

Crazed Rabbit
*That sounds really weird, doesn't it?

Yeah, but in a kinda siggable way.

OHHH, wait. Where's my sig gone? Dammit, I feel naked without it.

[Mikeus Caesar]

Ted Klaudt, 49, a Republican rancher

Republicans - we support American family values.

[doc_bean]

Yeah, but in a kinda siggable way.

OHHH, wait. Where's my sig gone? Dammit, I feel naked without it.

It's still there, I assume you've just disabled them altogether ?

I would have put it in my sig, but I feel I've been messing with it too much lately.