A Hartford chiropractor, 31-year-old Joel Martens, known for his work with student-athletes, has been arrested by the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office on multiple sex crime charges involving underage victims.
The charges include one count of child rape and seven counts of sexual contact with a minor in his authority.
The arrest came after a student-athlete, aged 13 to 16, reported that Martens had sexually abused her for the past eight months.
The victim explained that the abuse started during an athletics training session and continued during her treatment for an athletic injury.
She revealed that Martens manipulated her with threats and maintained non-consensual sexual contact, escalating to intercourse.
Martens now faces serious felony charges and could potentially serve up to 29 years in prison and be fined up to $58,000 if convicted.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with further information is urged to contact the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office.
Martens has not entered a plea and remains in custody on a $250,000 bond.