BROOKINGS — A phone tip about an erratic vehicle and a traffic stop led to charges of rape and contributing to the delinquency of a minor against a Sinai man.

According to a release from the Brookings Police Department, officers responding to a report of erratic driving stopped a 1995 Jeep Cherokee near the intersection of 20th Street South and Main Avenue South shortly after 1 p.m. on May 17.

The driver was Justin Paulson, 44, of Sinai, along with two underage female passengers. 

According to the probable cause statement, the girls told police that Paulson was giving them a ride from Sioux Falls to Brookings and that he had previously paid the 14-year-old girl $300 to have sex with him.

According to the documents, both girls told police that Paulson had previously supplied them with alcohol. Paulson denied having sex with either girl.

According to the statement, Paulson was arrested for felony rape, sexual contact with a child under 16 and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Rape in the fourth degree is a Class 3 felony in South Dakota and carries a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a $30,000 fine, or both. Contributing to the delinquency of a minor is a Class 1 misdemeanor and carries a maximum sentence of a year in the county jail, a $2,000 fine or both.

Paulson was booked into the Brookings County Detention Center where he remained as of Monday afternoon.

Linehan is the Register’s managing editor and welcomes tips and comments at jlinehan@brookingsregister.com.