CHISAGO COUNTY, Minn — A former Chisago County sheriff was charged Thursday in a sex scheme case after a woman came forward and claimed the ex-officer coerced her into sexual acts while he was still sheriff.
Richard Leon Duncan, 57, has been charged with two felony counts of third-degree sex conduct and three felony counts of fourth-degree sex conduct in relation to events that happened over five years ago, according to a criminal complaint filed in Chisago County District Court.
Court documents say Duncan told the victim that they were being "blackmailed," and that the "blackmailer" was leaving Duncan letters, one of the letters saying the "blackmailer" wanted Duncan and the woman to act like they were having an affair.
Duncan allegedly said that if they did not follow the "blackmailer's" demands, then they would kill the woman and her family, the complaint reads.
Court documents say Duncan informed the victim that he had received multiple letters from the "blackmailer" about sexual acts that had to be performed to save the woman's life. The complaint says Duncan recorded the acts inside the letters on his iPad in order to prove that they had complied with the written demands.
The documents state Duncan had told the victim multiple times that he was doing the acts to "protect her."
The victim didn't realize that Duncan could have been the "blackmailer" until she found out that the ex-sheriff had been charged with a similar crime in Chisago County, the complaint says.
Law enforcement spoke with Duncan on May 21, 2021 — four days after the Wyoming Police Department began investigating the case — but he refused to comment.
Duncan's first court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 28.
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