SD sex offender accused of illegal petitioning

5-15-2013 South Dakota:

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota law prohibiting convicted sex offenders from circulating petitions is being used to prosecute a Rapid City man banned from petitioning on county property more than a year ago.

Dallas Krausch, 75, is on the state's Sex Offender Registry because of a conviction for having sexual contact with a 12-year-old girl in Pennington County in 1986. He was hired to circulate petitions for several years, and at one point he said it was his only source of income. But his allegedly aggressive approach drew complaints at the Pennington County Courthouse in 2011, and that November, county commissioners barred him from circulating petitions on county property.

Krausch is now being prosecuted for allegedly collecting petition signatures on April 11 at the Rapid City Public Library, the Rapid City Journal reported (http://bit.ly/16zmFZd ). His arrest came four days after he was asked to leave the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, where he also was circulating a petition, according to police reports.

Defense attorney Dennis Groff said in court Tuesday that he is working with prosecutors to resolve the charges against his client, who faces two misdemeanor counts. Krausch could face up to two years in jail and $4,000 in fines if convicted.

The Legislature passed a law last year prohibiting convicted sex offenders from circulating petitions. It was proposed by legislators from Pennington County, and some said the law specifically targeted Krausch. Supporters stressed the importance of keeping personal information, such as addresses, out of the hands of potential predators. ..Source.. by Chron.com