Minnesota man sentenced for sexually soliciting Hartford teen

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - A Minnesota man has been sentenced to over 11 years in prison after authorities say he admitted to traveling to Hartford, S.D. with the intent to engage with sexual conduct with a 13-year-old girl.

Twenty-five-year-old Nathan Paul Grondahl of St. Cloud, Minn. was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of South Dakota.

The conviction stemmed from an incident on Nov. 22, 2019, when authorities say Grondahl left his home in Minnesota to travel to Hartford for the purpose of engaging in illegal sexual conduct with a 13-year old girl. The Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from the Hartford School Resource officer about Grondahl’s plans.

Investigators say Grondahl had met the minor on social media and had been communicating with her for a few days. Grondahl also requested that the minor female send him nude pictures of herself.

Grondahl was indicted by a federal grand jury in December of 2019. He pled guilty on March 22, 2021. He has been allowed to self-surrender by June 28.