Friday, March 21, 2014

Former County Deputy Aaron Heuer Pleds Guilty to Four Counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct

A former Mille Lacs County sheriff’s deputy who volunteered at a summer camp in Otter Tail County  has plead guilty to criminal sexual conduct charges and could face 33 years in prison.

The Otter Tail County  Attorney’s Office announced that Aaron Joseph Heuer of Isle, Minn., pled guilty to four counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of second degree criminal sexual conduct with five separate victims. As part of the agreement, Heuer will also plead guilty to one count of first degree criminal sexual conduct in Mille Lacs County.  The plea agreement calls for a sentence of 396 months in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for May 8 in Otter Tail County District Court.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) led the investigation involving Heuer and identified incidents at two locations in June 2013. According to the criminal complaint, the first incidents took place when Heuer was volunteering as a fishing guide at Lutheran Island Camp in Henning, Minn.  As part of his plea, Heuer admits that he inappropriately touched four male victims, ages 8-10, and instructed them to have sexual contact with him. Additional incidents are alleged to have taken place with two of the victims on a separate fishing trip in Aitkin County that was unrelated to the camp. Investigators believe Heuer knew all of the victims prior to the incidents.

The BCA conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Mille Lacs, Otter Tail and Aitkin County sheriff’s offices and the Otter Tail County, Aitkin County, and Stearns County Attorney’s offices.

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