A Stearns County jury has found 43-year-old Scott Erickson guilty of sexually abusing a young girl beginning when she was six years old, and he has now been sentenced to 17 1/2 years in prison. Erickson was convicted on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, and he will receive credit for more than two years already spent in the Stearns County Jail.
The jury found Erickson guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct against a child under 14 while more than 36 months older than the victim, according to wjon.com. Jurors also convicted him on a second count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving multiple acts with a victim under 14. Per the same outlet, a nurse with the Midwest Children's Resource Center reported in 2024 that a girl said she had been sexually abused by Erickson starting when she was six years old.
What the Criminal Complaint Alleges
According to the criminal complaint, the abuse allegedly took place at homes in St. Cloud and St. Joseph between 2021 and 2024. The article notes that Erickson was accused of raping the girl and forcing her to perform sex acts multiple times over that period. The victim said the abuse stopped when she was seven or eight years old.
A Stearns County judge handed down the sentence following the jury's verdict, ordering that Erickson serve 17 1/2 years in prison for the abuse. He will receive credit for more than two years already spent in the county jail, as reported by wjon.com. It is unclear whether Erickson had been held in custody since his arrest; the record shows only the credited time.
How the Case Compares Statewide
Cases like Erickson's are not isolated in Minnesota. From 2020 through 2024, 577 people were sentenced for first-degree criminal sexual conduct statewide, according to data from the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission. Earlier this month, another Minnesota man was sentenced to 360 months, or 30 years, in prison after pleading guilty to six counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, as reported by WBBJTV.
Erickson's name and case details appear on the Stearns County Jail roster, which notes that a booking listing does not by itself indicate guilt. That distinction no longer applies in Erickson's case, since a jury has already returned guilty verdicts on both counts against him.
