The South Dakota Supreme Court has upheld the conviction and sentence of a Rapid City man found guilty of multiple sexual offenses involving a minor.
In a decision filed May 13, the state’s high court affirmed the convictions of Tell Cadotte, who had been found guilty in Pennington County on multiple counts of first-degree rape and sexual contact with a minor.
Cadotte had challenged the trial court’s admission of certain evidence, including photographs and testimony, arguing violations of discovery rules and hearsay. However, the Supreme Court ruled the state met its legal obligations and that any potential errors in testimony did not affect the outcome of the case.
The ruling leaves intact Cadotte’s sentence, which includes a 70-year prison term, along with an additional concurrent sentence for sexual contact, to be served alongside a federal sentence.
The decision concludes the appeal and affirms the lower court’s judgment in full.
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