Twice-convicted sex offender sentenced to 9 years for sexual assault of girl

Mark Wasson, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
Updated ·2 min read

Aug. 14—ROCHESTER — A 60-year-old Rochester man was sentenced to nine years in prison Monday, Aug. 14, in an Olmsted County District courtroom for sexually assaulting a girl under 14 years old.

William Glenn Steiger pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of felony second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim under 16 years old as part of a plea that also dismissed an additional charge of felony second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Steiger sexually assaulted the girl at his rural Olmsted County residence during the winter of 2021-2022, according to the criminal complaint. Steiger was previously convicted of attempted third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a different minor girl in 2003.

District Judge Lisa Hayne sentenced Steiger to 108 months in prison and credited him with two days served. He will be required to register as a predatory offender and will be on supervised probation for the rest of his life, under a 100-year sentence that begins following his eventual release from prison.

The Minnesota sentencing guidelines called for a 110-month prison sentence in the case. Steiger's lawyer, Eric Nelson, argued for a lesser sentence due to Steiger's age, and his amenability to treatment in a probationary setting.

"Mr. Steiger is a strong candidate for probation and treatment and is particularly unfit for incarceration," Nelson wrote in a motion to the court earlier this month.

According to the criminal complaint:

The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office initially took a report about Steiger sexually assaulting two girls under 14 years old on March 10, 2022.

A family member of Steiger's told law enforcement the next day that Steiger had admitted to the sexual assault.

During a forensic interview with one of the girls, she said that Steiger has apologized for the crime and told her not to tell anyone because he would be prevented from seeing his grandchildren. Both girls present during the sexual assault confirmed each other's stories about the incident during interviews with law enforcement.