Former Kasson Church Leader Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison

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Mantorville, MN (KROC-AM News) - A former Kasson church leader has been sentenced to a total of 30 years in prison for his conviction on sex abuse charges.

The sentence was handed down today in Dodge County Court to 38-year-old Michael Davis. The Dodge Center man was brought to trial in May and was found guilty of two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, and a felony count of indecent exposure.

The criminal case dates back to 2019 when he was charged as a result of an investigation that began after Davis was pulled over for a traffic offense and it was discovered that he had a 13-year-old passenger even though he had been designated as a Level 3 sex offender by authorities in Utah. The criminal complaint says the investigator assigned to the case then learned that Davis had been serving as a youth leader in the Church of the Latter Day Saints in Kasson, where the juvenile attended services.

The teenage boy initially denied that there had been any sexual contact between himself and Davis, but later told his mother that he had been sexually abused by him. The young victim then gave a statement to investigators concerning that abuse.

The criminal case has raised questions about how Davis was hired for a leadership position by the Kasson church in light of his status as a registered sex offender for crimes committed in Utah.