Watertown Man Alex Kowalski Faces State, Federal Charges in Child Sex Abuse Investigation

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - A 23-year-old Watertown man is facing extensive state and federal criminal charges following multiple law enforcement investigations into allegations of sexual abuse, grooming, and exploitation involving young boys.

Alex Dean Kowalski now faces a 19-count state indictment in Codington County alongside a separate three-count federal indictment returned in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota. Court documents detail a pattern of alleged abuse where Kowalski used positions of authority—including acting as a youth soccer coach, mentor, live-in family member, and transportation provider—to target minors.

April 2026 Arrest: Witness Tampering and Exploitation Charges

Kowalski was first arrested by the Watertown Police Department on April 22, 2026, following a report involving an 11-year-old boy.

According to state probable cause affidavits, the incident occurred on April 11–12, 2026, at Kowalski’s Watertown residence while the victim was waiting for a video game to download. Investigators reported that Kowalski attempted to grab and mount the child on a bed. The child escaped to a closet area, warned Kowalski he would scream, and later locked himself in an adjacent room where he called his mother.

Documented court facts from the April case include:

·         Charges: A Codington County grand jury charged Kowalski with Class 4 Felony Witness Tampering and Class 6 Felony Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.

·         Witness Tampering Allegation: Kowalski allegedly instructed the child the following morning to lie to his parents about the assault.

·         Interviews & Admissions: During a police interview on April 22, Kowalski admitted to getting on top of the child as part of a “wrestling move” and admitted to punching the victim in the genitals after claiming the child hit him first.

·         Initial Release: Kowalski posted a $5,000 cash bond and was released under orders prohibiting contact with the victim or any unsupervised contact with minors.

June 2026 Indictment: 19 State Felony Counts

On May 18, 2026, a 14-year-old boy disclosed to a school counselor that Kowalski had sexually abused him on multiple occasions between the ages of 12 and 14. Following a forensic interview at Child’s Voice in Sioux Falls, Watertown police arrested Kowalski again on June 3, 2026.

On June 18, 2026, a Codington County Grand Jury returned a 19-count indictment against Kowalski:

·         Count I: Second-Degree Rape (Class 1 Felony).

·         Counts II–VII: Solicitation of a Minor (6 counts, Class 4 Felonies).

·         Counts VIII–XIII: Sexual Contact with a Child Under 18 by a Person in a Position of Authority (6 counts, Class 6 Felonies).

·         Counts XIV–XIX: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (6 counts, Class 6 Felonies).

The state affidavit alleges that during Christmas break in late 2025, Kowalski sexually assaulted the 14-year-old while sleeping at the victim’s residence. Law enforcement noted that Kowalski used threats, gifts, emotional manipulation, and “or else” comments to coerce the victim, leaving the minor in fear for his life.

Specific Watertown locations identified in court records where sexual contact allegedly occurred inside Kowalski’s vehicles (a 2016 Ford F-250 and a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu) include:

·         Parking lot of the Prairie Lakes Wellness Center.

·         Parking lot of the Watertown Walmart.

·         Anza Soccer Complex.

·         Parking areas near the new Watertown High School athletic field.

Investigators also documented non-charged pattern evidence of abuse during out-of-town soccer trips to Blaine, Minnesota; Omaha, Nebraska; Aberdeen, South Dakota; and Kansas City, Missouri.

Court documents show an arraignment court date of September 2, 2026

Federal Indictment and Court Appearance

Following the state investigations, a federal grand jury in South Dakota indicted Kowalski on August 6, 2026, charging him with three counts of Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity under 18 U.S.C. § 2423(a). The federal counts cover three separate date ranges in 2024: July 1–31, October 1–31, and November 1–30.

During an initial appearance and arraignment on August 13, 2026, in Sioux Falls before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy, Kowalski pleaded not guilty to all federal counts.

Although prosecutors opposed release, Judge Duffy placed Kowalski under strict federal pretrial supervision:

·         Monitoring & Travel: Mandatory electronic monitoring, curfew, location tracking, and confinement within South Dakota.

·         Contact Bans: Complete prohibition of contact with any victim, witness, co-defendant, or unsupervised contact with anyone under age 18.

·         Digital Inspection: Compliance with the district’s Computer/Internet Monitoring Program, surrender of his passport, and prohibition from possessing weapons or controlled substances.

Assistant Federal Public Defender Tim Maher has taken over defense representation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ebert-Webb represents the federal government.

If convicted on the federal charges, Kowalski faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison up to life, fines up to $250,000, and life supervised release.

Federal prosecutors are also seeking asset forfeiture of various electronics seized during searches, including an Xbox Series X, Alienware laptop, GoPro Hero11 camera, hard drives, SD cards, a Nintendo 3DS memory card, and an Apple iPhone.