Former Minnesota Youth Pastor Won’t Be Charged For Alleged Past Sexual Assault

The justice system has made a mockery out of sexual assault cases. While victims deal with lifelong trauma, their predators get to walk the earth, free to sexually assault anyone and everyone they want. There is yet another disappointing story of a sexual predator who remains free because of a technicality.

According to the Grand Forks Herald, former Minnesota youth pastor, Todd Travis Hogue, will not be charged for sexually assaulting Nikki Wolvert-Feller, 30 years ago. The reason the case was dropped is because it is not clear whether Wolvert-Feller was 17 or 18 at the time of her assault. You read that right, the case was dropped because she may have been an adult at the time she was sexually abused.

The Grand Forks Herald reports that, while Wolvert-Fuller's allegations are substantiated, the "hang up" in this case was her age at the time of the assault. The state prosecutor, who was also the victim's attorney, told Grand Forks Herald that "it's unfortunate." Get the disturbing details from the Grand Forks Herald here.

Even though the news report says that Wolvert-Feller is basically "satisfied" with the outcome of the case of her assault, that does not mean she got justice. There needs to be a serious revamp in the way sexual assault is legally handled.

Why does Minnesota not have a statute of limitations for victims under 18, but have a statute for victims 18 and older? Just because the victim is "of legal age," they should have a limitation on reporting sexual assault to authorities? This is devastating to survivors of such horrific acts. IT IS NO WONDER VICTIMS DON'T SPEAK OUT.

When the #MeToo movement came about, it appeared to many that women were just telling these stories for "15 minutes of fame" and to "ruin the lives of men." When, in fact, there was documentation and corroborating accounts of these types of things happening. Just look at R. Kelly, Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein or even locally at a couple of North Dakota diocese, and you will see how those who had the power to help, LET these sexual assaults continually happen to the victims.

With everything that we have learned about rape culture in past few years, there desperately needs to be a revolution in the justice system for sexual assault victims.