A former school counselor in Petersburg, North Dakota, Brendon Thomas Parsley, has been recharged with multiple offenses related to child sex crimes, following the dismissal of a previous case due to prosecutorial errors. The new charges, filed on April 16, include Class C felony sexual assault, Class C felony luring minors by computer, and Class A misdemeanor solicitation of a minor. Class C felonies carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
In November 2023, the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office sought the assistance of the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NDBCI) to investigate allegations of misconduct and sexual assault involving Parsley, who was serving as a counselor at Dakota Prairie High School. A declaration of probable cause summary filed in the case provided details of the investigation.
On December 1, 2023, law enforcement interviewed two women. The first alleged that her counseling sessions with Parsley became inappropriate over time, including flirtatious behavior and physical contact. The investigator’s report suggests these actions are consistent with grooming, a process defined by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network as manipulative behaviors used by abusers to gain access to victims and reduce the risk of detection.
According to the summary, the situation escalated when the girl, then 17, passed by Parsley’s residence. He allegedly invited her inside, where she observed his unzipped pants revealing his underwear. Parsley reportedly asked if she would get on the bed, and when she hesitated, suggested she leave. Before she left, they allegedly engaged in sexual contact, which occurred on another occasion as well. The girl’s mother discovered inappropriate and sexual social media messages between her daughter and Parsley. This led to a meeting involving the girl’s mother, Parsley, and the superintendent of Dakota Prairie High School, resulting in a 2016 reprimand documented in Parsley’s personnel file.
The second woman reported a similar experience, initially feeling safe during counseling with Parsley, which later turned into inappropriate comments and physical and sexual contact. Parsley allegedly warned her against revealing their interactions, claiming it would ruin their lives. At the time, she was also 17 years old.
Further accusations include Parsley arriving at school with injuries, blaming the girl for not responding to his messages. After her graduation, Parsley continued to contact her, allegedly threatening self-harm and exhibiting erratic behavior during phone calls.
The current allegations mirror those of Parsley’s original criminal case filed in February 2024. However, the first case was dismissed due to discrepancies about the timing of events and the ages of those involved. These inconsistencies surfaced during a preliminary hearing on June 21, 2024, leading Judge Kristi Venhuizen to dismiss the case due to a lack of probable cause.
In the new case, while the charges remain the same, the solicitation charge has been adjusted from a felony to a misdemeanor. Initially, a felony indicated the victim was under 15. The revised charges pertain to acts allegedly committed against minors over the age of 15.
Parsley has been summoned to make his initial court appearance on May 23 at 9:30 a.m. at the Nelson County Courthouse in Lakota.