By Janice Gregorson
gregor@postbulletin.com
After listening to testimony for two hours Friday, an Olmsted District Court judge decided he needed more information before sentencing a young Stewartville man, who could face a dozen years in prison for sexually assaulting a boy.
Scott Carl Richard Thielen, 19, was convicted of one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct by an Olmsted County jury in August. All of the charges were for abusing the same boy 18 months earlier when the boy was 41⁄2.; The conviction carries a presumptive 12-year prison term. The defense has moved for a lighter sentence.
At the time those charges were filed, Thielen was serving time in the Red Wing correctional facility for sexually assaulting a teenage girl. That conviction was as a juvenile. The new allegations didn't surface until after he was sentenced to Red Wing.
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Defense attorney Julie Maxwell called Amy Truax to testify at Thielen's sentencing hearing Friday. Truax is a therapist who works with sex offenders at the Red Wing facility. She told Judge Joseph Wieners that Thielen successfully completed the sex offender program, which she described as one of the most intense in the state. She testified that part of that program is full disclosure of any sexual contact an offender has had, followed by a polygraph test. She said she is not convinced he sexually abused the young boy. She also said she doesn't believe Thielen needs more sex offender treatment but does need treatment for chemical dependency and mental health issues.
However, prosecutor Jim Martinson pointed to evaluations of Thielen done by two other psychologists, who offered differing views of Thielen's risk of reoffending and his treatment needs.
In the end, Wieners said he needs "a whole lot more information" about available treatment programs and funding options before ruling on Maxwell's motion for a shorter sentence than state guidelines recommend. Sentencing has now been scheduled for Nov. 15.
