PIERRE, (KCCR) — A status hearing has been set for mid-December for a Sioux Falls man facing sexual assault charges in Stanley County. Thirty year-old Shadu Kawaja is charged with First Degree Rape; Sexual Contact with a Child under 16 and Intentional Exposure to a Venereal Disease. Defense attorney Sandy Steffen told Sixth Circuit Judge Margo Northup that the two sides in the case are making progress in the case and requested a follow-up hearing next month. Stanley County States Attorney Thomas P. Maher told Northup that Kawaja’s initial court appearance was June 12th and expressed concern about bumping up against the 180-day rule given the amount of evidence in the case. That rule ensures a defendant a speedy trial. Steffen told Northrup she would discuss waving the that rule with her client. According court documents, a nine year-old female told investigators Kawaja did “bad things to me” in late November of last year. An affidavit indicates that during a medical evaluation of the victim it was found they had contracted gonorrhea from Kawaja. Kawaja admitted in law enforcement interviews that he had sex with the victim. Kawaja could face life in prison if convicted on the First Degree Rape charge alone. That charge along carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. Kawaja is being held in the Hughes County Jail on a 50-thousand dollar cash bond.
