Judge Sentences Eden Valley Man for Sexually Assaulting Boy

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- A Stearns County judge has sentenced an Eden Valley man for sexually assaulting a teenage boy.

A jury found 35-year-old Jessee Kuhns guilty on one count of 3rd-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim between 16-17-years-old while being more than three years older.

Kuhns was sentenced to nine years and one month in prison. He gets credit for having served 156 days in the county jail.

According to the criminal complaint, Kuhns was a registered predatory offender who was in a position of power over the 16-year-old boy and used that power to manipulate the boy into agreeing to sex acts with him.

The sexual assault occurred in April 2022 at Kuhns's home.

The boy told investigators that he didn't know what to do because he didn't want to see Kuhns get mad and that he had seen Kuhns have angry outbursts before. Court records allege after the assault took place, Kuhns told the boy not to say anything because he was already on a "list".