DEVILS LAKE -- A South Dakota man could spend the rest of his life in prison after investigators said he sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl four years ago in Devils Lake.
Wade Alan Steele, 43, of Huron, S.D., was booked into the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center on Wednesday on two gross sexual imposition charges in Ramsey County District Court. One is a Class AA felony, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, and the other is a Class A felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
The charges date back to July 2012. Court documents detail how Steele allegedly sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl in Devils Lake. Police said he also engaged in sexual contact with a 12-year-old girl.
It’s unclear in court documents if the 12-year-old in the two charges is the same person or if the two alleged instances happened separately.
An arrest warrant for Steele was issued Sept. 15, and he was arrested in South Dakota before being transported to the LEC in Devils Lake, Ramsey County State’s Attorney Lonnie Olson said. He is being held without bond until his first court appearance, which is set for Monday.