Former Fall River County Sheriff’s Deputy Frank Kistler of Edgemont has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for inappropriate relations with two underage girls.
The 61-year old Kistler pleaded guilty in late August to enticing a minor using the internet, accepting a plea bargain that dropped 6 felony charges.
He was originally charged in August 2019 with attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, attempted enticement of a minor, and transfer of obscene material to a minor.
Kistler had been a Custer County deputy for more than 20 years, recognized twice as Officer of the Year, before resigning and moving to Edgemont in June 2017. It was later revealed he’d resigned for sexual misconduct with a minor.
Kistler began work in June 2018 as a resident deputy for Fall River County, which is contracted by Edgemont to provide law enforcement service, but sexually explicit photos of a 17-year old girl were later found on his phone.
Investigators interviewed the girl, who said Kistler has used his position in law enforcement to obtain nude photos of her. Kistler admitted having a sexual relationship with her, saying he loved her.
He also admitted to exchanging sexually explicit photos with a 13-year old girl via snapchat and to improperly touching both girls.
Kistler told the Fall River County Herald Star in March 2019 that he hoped by living in Edgemont he would be a positive presence in the community and someone residents could turn to when they had problems.