Officer charged with having sex with minors

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A 31-year-old Minneapolis police officer was charged with three counts of criminal sexual conduct Monday after admitting to having sex with a 13-year-old girl in June, court records show.

A criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County court said Travis Wade Koenig, of Blaine, met the girl and a 15-year-old girl on a telephone chat service. The girls told Koenig they were 18 and 19 years old, the complaint said.

Koenig arranged to meet the girls during the early morning of June 10 at a gas station. From there, Koenig drove them to a hotel in St. Louis Park where he handcuffed the 13-year-old girl and had sex with her.

Her friend waited in the bathroom. When she came out, the officer and the 13-year-old girl had sex again while she watched, according to the complaint.

Koenig said the sex was consensual and that he thought she was older, according to the complaint. He's charged with two felonies and a gross misdemeanor.

The St. Louis Park officer who investigated the incident said it was clear to him the girl was less than 16. He noted that Koenig has worked prostitution details, which requires noticing physical details, including age.

Koenig has been relieved of any law-enforcement duties while an investigation is pending against him, Minneapolis police officials said. Koenig has served on the force since Sept. 27, 1993.