Jun. 22—COTTONWOOD COUNTY — An arrest warrant was issued June 17 for Shawn Staudinger, 43, of Comfrey, regarding three felony counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct following incidents that occurred between 2023-2025.
According to the law enforcement report, a forensic interview was conducted earlier this month with an underage victim. During the interview, the victim reported they had a significant relationship with Staudinger, saying he touched them and “did more.”
They shared this happened when they were living with Staudinger and occurred when they were watching videos in the bedroom. The child victim said Staudinger would come into the room, close the door and start to kiss and touch them.
According to the victim, Staudinger would put his hands under their clothing and continue to touch them. They said they didn’t like it and the incidents would stop when another adult got home.
On other occasions, the victim said Staudinger had sex with them but told them not to tell anyone and they would start to cry. They reported they would sometimes tell him to stop but other times, would be too scared to do so.
Staudinger has a review hearing scheduled for Aug. 5 in Cottonwood County Fifth District Court.
Note: This article was written based on information reported by local law enforcement agencies. The Globe reminds readers that all individuals are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The Southwest Crisis Center is available in our community to support and empower survivors of sexual and domestic violence. For questions about services or how you can help, contact the Southwest Crisis Center at 1-800-376-4311 or
. The SWCC also serves Cottonwood, Rock, Murray, Jackson, Pipestone, Lyon, Lincoln, Redwood, Renville and Yellow Medicine counties. All references to the victim have been changed to they/them to help protect the victim’s identity.