Former Minnesota pastor Bruce Konold, who was convicted of criminal sexual misconduct involving a woman at his church, is expected to be released from jail Thursday, after serving less than 50 days in jail.

Bruce Douglas Konold, 63, of Eagan, Minnesota, was convicted of criminal sexual conduct in the 4th degree (clergy) on Sept. 9. He faced up to a 10-year sentence and between a $6,000 to $20,000 fine.

But Konold’s attorney asked the court to “to impose a gross misdemeanor sentence,” according to a motion filed in the case. Konold’s conduct was “significantly less serious than that typically involved in the commission of the offense,” the motion states.

On Nov. 22, the court sentenced Konold to serve 90 days in the Dakota County jail. His sentence has since been reduced 41 days—11 days due to time already served and 30 days for good behavior, confirmed by a Dakota jail employee.

Upon his release, Konold will be on supervised probation for 10 years and fined $380, according to court records.

As reported by The Roys Report (TRR),  Konold initially faced four charges involving two women at his former Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) church, Eagan Hills Church. But a jury acquitted him of two charges of criminal sexual conduct in the third and fourth degree. And a judge declared a mistrial on a charge of criminal sexual conduct in the third degree.

Konold pastored the C&MA church from 1997 until February 2022. He admitted having sex with one woman over 100 times and with a second woman over 19 times. The sexual encounters occurred in both victims’ homes, hotels, vehicles, and on a hunting trip, court records show.

Minnesota law criminalizes sexual contact between clergy and people under their spiritual care. However, Konold’s lawyers argued that the victim and Konold had a sexual relationship prior to March 10, 2022—the date of the offense for which he was convicted.

“But for his occupation, this same conduct would not have been a violation of the law or ever charged,” the motion by Konold’s lawyer states. “The touching that occurred on March 10th was minimal and Mr. Konold stopped when (the victim) asked him to. A reasonable analysis supports a finding that this was a significantly less serious act than is typically involved in the commission of this type of offense.”

In the state’s closing arguments, prosecutor Emily Froehle challenged the argument in the motion.

“It doesn’t matter how much these women ‘wanted it,’” she said. “They told you (the jury) they didn’t. But it doesn’t matter. They can’t consent. And that is because of the nature of this relationship. The trust of this relationship. And, frankly, the information that this defendant (Konold) would have had about them in the context of that relationship made them vulnerable—makes people vulnerable. And so, that is why the law has said they can’t decide whether they can consent, even if they are adults.”

Konold was always “the leader of his flock” and the “pastor of the church,” Froehle told the jury.

Froehle cautioned the jury not to separate the man from the position.

“It is impossible to separate this defendant from that role,” Froehle said.

“(T)hat is important here. Not from a moral outrage perspective, but because of the law,” Froehle said. “Because of the position that put him in. And because of what that tells you about whether he was providing private spiritual counsel to the two women that we are talking about in this trial.”

Court records show Konold and his wife are now divorced.

Sheila Stogsdill is a freelance print journalist and digital reporter, primarily covering crime issues for KSN/KODE.