Luverne 17-year-old accused of sex crime with 14-year-old

A Luverne teen faces felony charges for his alleged role in a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl.
Brandon Larry Staeffler, 17, appeared in Rock County District Court Oct. 26 on charges of third-degree criminal sexual conduct filed this summer.
According to court documents, an incident occurred on May 30 between Staeffler and the 14-year-old girl during which the two had sexual intercourse.
While the girl had agreed to participate, the act is considered criminal when it involves a child younger than 16 and more than 24 months younger than the other person.
According to court document, the parents of the girl learned about the incident on June 2 and reported it to law enforcement on June 4.
When interviewed, the girl told law enforcement she’d been at a friend’s house in Luverne with four other people, including Staeffler.
She said Staeffler had about four grams of marijuana with him and they smoked marijuana.
She said while they were high, Staeffler asked her if she’d like to have sex with him, and she agreed to go with him to his car parked in the alley and had sexual intercourse in the backseat.
She said they didn’t use a condom and that Staeffler knew how old she was because she had sent him a text saying how old she was.
The case is filed as a juvenile delinquency petition in Rock County District Court.