McLaughlin Predator Gets 31 Years for Child Sex Abuse

ABERDEEN, SD – Kurtis Charles Cross, 67, of McLaughlin, South Dakota, will spend the next three decades and eight months of his life behind bars for a horrific act of sexual abuse against a vulnerable three-year-old girl. U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann handed down the sentence on August 18, 2025, after Cross pleaded guilty to Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child.

The details of the crime, uncovered by investigators from the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services, and the Corson County Sheriff’s Office, are deeply disturbing. In late 2023, Cross was residing in a home on the Standing Rock Reservation when the abuse occurred. On August 4, 2024, he was left alone with the young victim for approximately twenty minutes. When another adult returned to the residence, they immediately sensed something was terribly wrong.

What they discovered was sickening. The adult found the three-year-old sitting in Cross’ bedroom, visibly terrified and clutching her teddy bear. According to court documents, Cross had forcibly held the child’s mouth open and compelled her to perform a sexual act. The quick-thinking adult intervened, removing the girl from the situation and immediately contacting law enforcement. The trauma inflicted upon this child will undoubtedly last a lifetime.

Federal prosecutors, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem, brought the case under the Major Crimes Act, a statute allowing federal prosecution of certain crimes occurring within Indian country. This ensured that Cross faced justice at the federal level, and the full weight of the law was brought down upon him. In addition to the 31-year and eight-month prison sentence, Cross will also serve five years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the escalating epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project brings together federal, state, and local resources to identify, apprehend, and prosecute predators like Cross, and to rescue victims. Information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.

Cross was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to begin serving his lengthy sentence. This conviction sends a clear message: those who prey on the most vulnerable among us will be held accountable for their depraved actions. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on efforts to protect children from predators like Kurtis Charles Cross.