Steven Harold West, 73, of Onida is facing three felony counts of raping three runaways after meeting them online through Instagram.
The 12-year-old and two 13-year-old girls ran away from Blunt, South Dakota, on May 13 and arranged through Instagram to meet West near a church at about 1 a.m. They told law enforcement West drove them from Blunt to his home in Onida and gave them an electric razor to cut their hair. He then performed sexual acts with them, gave them money and brought them to a gas station, according to court documents filed in the case.
One of the girls told law enforcement that West had previously solicited nude photos from her online in exchange for money. Law enforcement searched her phone, which revealed numerous transactions involving Steve West to her Paypal account.
West is being held in the Hughes County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on June 8th. KELOLAND News was unable to locate any prior criminal record for West.
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