May 2025:
A 24 year old man from Plankinton has been sentenced to 55 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of First Degree Rape involving a minor.
Kody Konechne was sentenced Wednesday (May 14, 2025) in Aurora County Circuit Court. The crimes occurred in Aurora County in 2020. Konechne is also serving a five-year federal prison sentence for pleading guilty to one count of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
The case was investigated by the Aurora County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office and Aurora County State’s Attorney’s Office.
January 2025:
A jury has convicted Jayden Debevec, age 29, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Debevec is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years and a possible maximum of life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine. After his release from prison, he will be placed on supervised release for a minimum term of five years and a possible maximum term of up to life. He must also pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Debevec was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2023.
Debevec started a conversation with a person he believed was a 15-year-old girl on an online dating site. The conversation turned sexual and, using sometimes explicit language, he asked the 15-year-old girl to meet up hoping to have a sexual encounter with her. Debevec arrived at the meet location where he was arrested by law enforcement. Debevec had actually been chatting with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 15-year-old girl.
This case was brought as part of an undercover chat operation designed to identified individuals in the community who are interested in having sex with minors. The case was also brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Sioux Falls Police Department, Watertown Police Department, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth E. Ebert-Webb and Beau Blouin prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
JUNE 2024:
U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Plankinton, South Dakota, man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet. The sentencing took place on June 5, 2024.
Kody William Konechne, age 23, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Konechne must register as a sex offender upon release from federal prison.
Konechne was indicted by a federal grand jury in March of 2023. He pleaded guilty on February 27, 2024.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on March 5, 2023, when Konechne used his cell phone to attempt to coerce a 14-year-old female he met on Facebook to engage in sexual activity. The girl, however, was an undercover agent. Konechne was arrested when he arrived at the location where he thought he would be meeting the girl.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations – Sioux Falls, the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
FEBRUARY 2024:
A 24 year old Sioux Falls man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet has received his punishment from a federal judge.
Jonah Earl Severson was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Severson will be required to register as a sex offender once he is released from federal prison.
Severson was indicted by a federal grand jury in April of 2023. He pleaded guilty on October 19, 2023.
The conviction stemmed from incidents between March 6, 2023, and March 15, 2023, when Severson, using his cellular phone to access the social media application MeetMe, attempted to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce an undercover agent posing as a 15-year-old female to engage in sexual activity.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Sioux Falls Police Department, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the SD Internet Crimes Against Children task force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
JANUARY 2024:
U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls man convicted of Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography.
Cole Bogen Bettin, age 28, was sentenced to six years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Bettin will also need to register as a sex offender upon his release.
Bettin was indicted by a federal grand jury in March of 2023. He pleaded guilty on September 27, 2023.
The conviction stemmed from incidents between March 5, 2023, and March 6, 2023, when Bettin, using his cellular phone to access the application Grindr, attempted to persuade an undercover agent posing as a 15-year-old male to distribute child pornography to him.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Sioux Falls Police Department, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the SD Internet Crimes Against Children task force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Bettin was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
APRIL 2023:
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Sioux Falls Police Department, Watertown Police Department, Tea Police Department, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, South Dakota Highway Patrol and the FBI, conducted a joint online sex crimes operation that ran from March 3, 2023, through March 8, 2023.
As a result, the following six men from Sioux Falls were arrested and charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet:
- Cole Bogen Bettin, age 27;
- Joshua David Catron, age 33;
- Jayden Debevec, age 28;
- Kody William Konechne, age 21;
- Michael Valleck, age 32; and
- Jonah Earl Severson, age 23.
The mandatory minimum penalty upon conviction is 10 years and a maximum of life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years minimum of supervised release, up to life, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents work tirelessly to protect children from exploitation,” said Jamie Holt, HSI St. Paul Special Agent in Charge. “This successful online sex crimes operation shows the threat child predators pose in our communities and the importance of working hand-in-hand with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to bring individuals and networks who prey on vulnerable populations to justice.”
The cases are being federally prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey C. Clapper and Jeremy R. Jehangiri.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to extend its appreciation to all law enforcement partners involved in the investigations for their efforts and continued cooperation.
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