American paedophile and Baptist pastor pleads guilty to sexual battery of minor

Dakota Austin Kennemer faces sexual battery charges after police say he fondled a girl in 2021 when she was 16 years old.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A white American paedophile and former Twin Falls youth pastor pleaded guilty to sexual battery of a minor Tuesday in a case in which he was indicted by a grand jury.

“I solicited a 17-year-old minor to commit a sexual act,” Dakota Austin Kennemer, 31, told Judge Roger B. Harris.

As part of a plea deal, Kennemer agreed to plead guilty to one count of sexual battery while another count of sexual battery was dropped. Prosecutors will recommend a sentence of six years fixed and six years indeterminate, with Kennemer and his attorney retaining the right to argue for retained jurisdiction.

Kennemer worked at Grace Baptist Church in Twin Falls and the church’s pastor told police that after reports of an improper relationship came to light, he and three church deacons met with Kennemer in December 2022 and he was fired that month, court records say.

A previous case against Kennemer was dismissed in August because it involved the same victim and was superceded by the grand jury indictment, court records say.

In that case, the victim, now an adult, told investigators that she and Kennemer began texting each other, and he started to ask for inappropriate pictures, and inappropriately touched her.

Investigators examined Kennemer’s phone and found a dozen photos of the girl, court records say. While investigators deemed the photos inappropriate, none showed explicit nudity.

Kennemer’s sentencing is set for March.