Former Gibbon pastor goes to trial this week

A former Lutheran pastor from rural Gibbon in south-central Minnesota goes on trial this week on charges he had illegal sexual contact with a 16-year-old girl.

The Journal of New Ulm reports 52-year-old David E. Radtke is charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct and two other felonies.

Prosecutors allege the former pastor of St. Peter's Lutheran Church gave the girl late-night back massages and touched her sexually several times in his home last May.

Court records show the girl told investigators that Radtke asked her for forgiveness after the sexual incidents.

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Radtke allegedly told an investigator the incidents were a lapse of judgment and that he would take full responsibility.

The trial is scheduled to start Tuesday in Sibley County District Court.

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Information from: The Journal

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