Area juvenile victim in sexual abuse case

A Mankato area resident, Grant Moody, has been charged with criminal sexual behavior with a juvenile. On June 20, Moody delivered a female between the ages of 14 and 16 to the Waseca-Mayo Emergency Department, according to the complaint filed. The juvenile alleged that her parents “abused her, she was being ‘raped’ by a man… and additionally, another household member was also sexually assaulting her.”

According to the claim, Moody told medical staff that the juvenile’s parents had a “sexually shared partner” and were allowing the girl’s abuse to continue.

The juvenile was then placed in protective custody in foster care. 

On June 22, Moody reported to the Hennepin County Emergency Room where he requested psychiatric attention for suicidal thoughts stemming from “taking his 14-year-old girlfriend to the hospital,” according to the claim. 

It also alleges that the juvenile said her parents weren’t letting her be abused, but that she was angry with them and had tried to run away. The report claims the juvenile said she and Moody “had sexual intercourse ‘quite often,’ and it was every time she would go to his farm place.” Moody owns a farm in Waseca County and described the juvenile as a “farm manager” to hospital staff. 

The claim alleges that for the last 18 months, Moody had been having frequent intercourse, “with the last time being on June 18, 2023.” 

The claim also states the juvenile told authorities Moody had been taking her to frequent visits to Okoboji, Iowa, while the parents were on vacation; she told staff at the Waseca County Sheriff’s Office that she and Moody were planning to run away together. 

The juvenile’s parents were unaware of these trips and did not give Moody permission to take the juvenile, according to the claim.

The juvenile said that on June 20, Moody “bought her clothes so that she would have clothing when they went ‘to the next place.’” 

Moody was taken into custody and booked, with bail posted at $200,000. He was released on bail under condition that he would wear GPS monitoring equipment, would not contact the victim or her family, and would not use electronic means to initiate contact.

Moody had a Rule 8 hearing the morning of July 17 at the Waseca County Courthouse. For such hearings, a defendant may only enter a guilty plea, and according to MN Court Rule 8.02 Subd. 1, “If the defendant does not wish to plead guilty, the arraignment must be continued until the omnibus hearing.”