Fergus Falls Man Charged With Sexual Conduct Involving 14-Year-Old Minor

A 16-year-old's question to a school resource officer last month set off an investigation that ended with Shea Hites in the Otter Tail County jail.

Hites, 26, listed in court documents as homeless in the Fergus Falls area, was arrested March 31 and charged with two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor. The charges stem from alleged sexual contact with a 14-year-old that took place between March and August 2024.

The case surfaced March 27 when a student approached a school resource officer asking how to report a sexual assault that had occurred the prior year. Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office deputies followed up on the tip, and the alleged victim disclosed the relationship and its timeline to investigators. Four days later, Hites was in custody.

The alleged incidents occurred nearly 18 months before the report to law enforcement. It was a peer, not the victim, who first raised the concern with a school-based officer, a sequence that reflects how critical accessible reporting pathways are when minors face delayed disclosure.

Hites was booked into the Otter Tail County jail following his arrest. His case will proceed through the Otter Tail County court system, with an arraignment and potential bail hearing among the expected next steps.