Former KM paraprofessional receives not guilty verdict in sexual conduct trial
(ABC 6 News) – A former KM paraprofessional was acquitted of criminal sexual conduct charges in Dodge County Court Tuesday, June 18.
Kian Sean Moran, 25, was accused of 2nd- and 5th-degree criminal sexual conduct with children after several K-M Middle School students accused him of groping them in the classroom and hallways.
RELATED: KM paraprofessional pleads not guilty to charges of molesting middle school students – ABC 6 News – kaaltv.com
The verdict returned by the jury cited lack of evidence to prove a guilty verdict beyond reasonable doubt.
Defense attorney Zachary Bauer, representing Moran, said several of the young witnesses’ testimonies throughout the trial contradicted those of the alleged victims.
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(ABC 6 News) – A former KM paraprofessional’s criminal sexual conduct trial was rescheduled for June of 2024.
Kian Sean Moran, 24, was charged with 2nd-degree criminal sexual conduct with a child, a charge of 5th-degree criminal sexual conduct–nonconsensual sexual contact, and a charge of disorderly conduct after multiple 11- and 12-year-olds accused him of groping them in the classroom and hallways.
Moran’s Dodge County jury trial was scheduled to begin Monday, Feb. 12.
Instead, Moran’s defense filed a motion Feb. 12 to dismiss the case entirely.
According to the motion, the defense counsel claims that the defense referenced statements by a juvenile witness, whose interview with K-M SRO Jesse Kasel allegedly failed to save when an incoming call interrupted his phone recording.
A written report states that the juvenile had not spoken about Moran’s alleged inappropriate conduct toward other students, even though other juveniles claimed the child had seen Moran groping them, according to the motion.
The motion to dismiss the case claims that law enforcement intentionally withheld the written report from the case, as it favored Moran.
The prosecution filed its own list of requests Thursday, Feb. 8.
At that hearing, the state of Minnesota’s representative, Kailee Thompson, asked the court to prohibit the defense from certain actions during trial — such as “inquiring about the victim’s prior sexual history” or asserting an opinion about the truthfulness of the young witnesses during trial.
Moran’s new pretrial hearing was scheduled for June 5, followed by a jury trial beginning June 10.