South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces two men have been arrested in two separate sexual assault investigations involving minors in Hamlin County.
Those arrested were:
*** Christopher Verhoek, 34, Bruce, S.D., on two felony counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in the state penitentiary, a $4,000 fine or both for each count; two misdemeanor counts of Attempted Hiring for Sexual Activity, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in the county jail, a maximum fine of $2,000, or both for each count; and five misdemeanor counts of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in the county jail, a maximum fine of $2,000, or both for each count. The crimes occurred between 2024 and 2026. Verhoek was released on a $2,500 bond.
*** Kevin Benthin, 63, Estelline, S.D., on two felony counts of Sexual Contact with a Child Under the Age of Sixteen, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in the state penitentiary, a $30,000 fine or both for each count. He has also been charged with one misdemeanor count of Sexual Contact Without Consent of a Child 15 Years of Age or Older. That charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in the county jail, a maximum fine of $2,000, or both. The crimes occurred in 2021, 2022 and 2026. Benthin is being held in the Codington County Detention Center in Watertown on a $5,000 cash bond.
The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) investigated the cases. The Hamlin County State’s Attorney’s Office will prosecute.
Both men were arrested on Wednesday. They are presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.
