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Archive for the ‘SOUTH DAKOTA’ Category
Dumbass Aberdeen South Dakota Police Officer Tom Tarnowski Shoots Another Officer In The Leg While Serving Search Warrant
May 15th, 2008
ABERDEEN, SOUTH DAKOTA - An Aberdeen Police Officer shot last week in the leg was injured when another officer’s weapon accidentally discharged, the Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday morning.
Grant Schnabel, a 13-year veteran of the police department, was shot in the leg Wednesday as a search warrant was being executed on a home at 211 Ninth Ave. S.E. in Aberdeen.
The Division of Criminal Investigation led the investigation and determined that a single shot from Detective Tom Tarnowski’s 9mm duty weapon was to blame, a release from the Attorney General’s Office said.
Schnabel is in stable condition at Avera St. Luke’s Hospital in Aberdeen. Tarnowski is on paid administration leave.
Disgraced Former Rapid City South Dakota Police Officer Chris Hansen Returns $25K Embezzled From Association, Still Faces Theft Charges
April 5th, 2008
RAPID CITY, SD - A former treasurer of the Rapid City Peace Officers Association has paid money to the group to resolve a lawsuit.
Court records show that former Rapid City police officer Chris Hansen is accused of embezzling $25,000. That’s the amount he has paid the association in a judgment.
But he still faces a criminal charge of grand theft by embezzlement, which carries a top penalty of 10 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.
Police Chief Steve Allender has said Hansen resigned from the department in February in lieu of being fired for work-performance issues and that the embezzlement allegations surfaced after the resignation.
Former Rapid City South Dakota Police Officer Chris Hansen Arrested, Charged With Grand Theft. Have A Seat Right Over There…
March 28th, 2008
RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA - The South Dakota Attorney General’s Office says a former Rapid City police officer, Chris Hansen, has been charged with grand theft.
Authorities think he took thousands of dollars from the local peace officers association.
The Attorney General’s Office says Hansen was arrested last week. He had resigned from the police department in January.
Last month, police Chief Steve Allender said the resignation followed an internal investigation into Hansen’s work performance.
During part of his stint, Hansen was treasurer of the Rapid City Peace Officers Association-Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 2.
Child Molesting South Dakota Prison Guard Charles “Chuck” Leroy Crowell Sentenced To 5 Years In California, 20 Years In South Dakota, After Using Internet To Lure 14 Year Old Girl And Child Molestation
February 26th, 2008
CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA - A former South Dakota prison guard was sentenced to more than five years in prison yesterday for raping a 14-year-old Escondido girl after using the Internet to lure her to South Dakota.
Charles “Chuck” Leroy Crowell will serve five years and four months in a California prison, then will be sent back to South Dakota where he had been sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes against the same girl, Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Timothy R. Walsh ruled.
Walsh said he gave Crowell the maximum sentence allowed under California law. Crowell pleaded guilty Nov. 30 in San Diego County to luring a minor with the intent of committing a sexual offense, lewd acts with a minor 14 to 15 years old and unlawful sex with a child younger than 16.
“This is an atrocious case; it’s atrocious conduct,” Walsh said. “The damage to the victim was severe.”
Read MoreLawsuit Charges Pennington County South Dakota Correctional Officer Jermaine Leonard With Rape After Sex With Female Inmate - Trial Begins
February 20th, 2008
PENNINGTON COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA - No one disputes the fact that correctional officer Jermaine Leonard had sexual contact with Mindy Kahle in her cell at Pennington County Jail on Dec. 14, 2002.
What is disputed is whether the contact was rape or consensual.
Kahle’s civil suit, which began Tuesday in U.S. District Court, also accuses Pennington County Sheriff’s Deputy Tim Malone, who was supervising Leonard, of failing to protect her by not doing his job.
“What happened in this case was abuse,” Steve Beardsley, who represents Kahle, said. In opening statements, Beardsley told the eight-man, four-woman jury that Kahle was sexually abused three times in a 40-minute time span at the jail.
He said Kahle, who was there awaiting trial on felony charges, was afraid to call for help or to report Leonard, who was nearing the end of a six-week training period.
Read MoreFormer Huron South Dakota Police Officer Daniel Sammons Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison For Vancouver Washington Rape Of A Child Student He Taught And Coached At Middle School
February 14th, 2008
HURON, SOUTH DAKOTA - A 12-year sentence has been handed down in Washington state to a former Huron police officer convicted of child rape.
Daniel Sammons told a judge last year he had sex with a student and tried to get her to stay quiet about it. He had taught and coached at a middle school in Vancouver, Washington.
In 2006, a girl told her mother that Sammons had touched her inappropriately.
Sammons pleaded guilty last summer to child rape, child molestation and witness tampering. The 12-year sentence was the maximum.
The judge in the case, John Wulle, admonished Sammons for abusing his position of trust as a teacher and a coach in abusing the girl.
Monroe County South Dakota Deputy Sheriff Orville (O.P.) Parker Charged With Domestic Violence After Incident With Former Girlfriend
January 10th, 2008
MONROE COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA - A Monroe County sheriff’s deputy was charged with a felony Monday in connection with an alleged assault on an ex-girlfriend last week.
Orville (O.P.) Parker, 45, a 20-year department Veteran, was arraigned by First District Judge Patricia Costello on one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. He was released on a $500 personal recognizance bond .
The charge stems from an incident last Wednesday afternoon at Deputy Parker’s home, state police investigators said. During an argument with his ex-girlfriend, the officer allegedly pointed a handgun at her, ordering her out of the house.
The woman contacted the state police who forwarded the findings of their investigation to a Washtenaw County special prosecutor assigned to decide if a charge would be authorized.
Sheriff Tillman Crutchfield said Deputy Parker has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the criminal charges. If convicted of a felony, the officer’s employment with the department would be terminated, he added.
Read MoreFormer South Dakota Prison Guard Charles “Chuck” Leroy Crowell Pleads Not Guilty To Raping 14 Year Old Escondido California Girl - Sentenced To 20 Years In S.D. For Raping Same Girl
November 20th, 2007
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA — A former South Dakota prison guard accused of raping a 14-year-old Escondido girl he met online, then luring her to the Midwest where he raped her again, pleaded not guilty Monday in San Diego to eight charges.
Charles “Chuck” Leroy Crowell, 35, was extradited last week from South Dakota, where he pleaded guilty to raping the same girl and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, said San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Gretchen Means.
Crowell pleaded not guilty Monday to statutory rape, committing lewd acts on a child and contacting a minor with the intent to commit a sex offense, she said.
Superior Court Judge David Szumowski ordered the defendant held without bail and scheduled a readiness hearing for Nov. 30. A preliminary hearing was set for Dec. 4.
Read MoreJudge Refuses To Lower Bond For Former Highmore South Dakota Police Chief Ken Huber - Charged With Shooting And Killing His Wife
November 13th, 2007
HIGHMORE, SOUTH DAKOTA - A circuit judge has refused to lower the bond for a former Highmore police chief accused of shooting and killing his wife.
Forty-one year-old Ken Huber had his first court appearance in Highmore on a charge of first-degree murder and an alternate count of first-degree manslaughter in the death of his wife, Pamela, who was Highmore’s city finance officer.
Huber has said his wife was shot Oct. 28 when his pistol fired accidentally in their home. He is being held on a $500,000 cash bond.
Circuit Judge James W. Anderson said Tuesday he would not reduce the bond because both charges carry a sentence of up to life in prison.
Hyde County South Dakota State’s Attorney Jennifer Lowrie Remains On The Job After Boyfriend Police Officer Shoots And Kills His Wife
November 10th, 2007
HYDE COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA - Details emerging from the Pam Huber murder investigation have people in Highmore wondering about the status of their county prosecutor.
Affidavit From Investigation (PDF) HERE
Hyde County State’s Attorney Jennifer Lowrie was the first person to arrive at the crime scene. But she didn’t come as law enforcement. Court documents reveal Lowrie and Huber’s husband, Ken, were having an affair. And Ken Huber is now charged in the murder.
But that doesn’t mean she’ll have to give up her job.
A county commissioner says Jennifer Lowrie is still the Hyde County State’s Attorney. She came to Highmore when former state’s attorney Pat Voorhees resigned, so the county commission appointed Lowrie in July 2006 to finish the term.
She’ll remain state’s attorney at least until the 2008 election, unless she resigns or Gov. Mike Rounds dismisses her.
Read MoreLake County South Dakota Deputy Sheriff Emily Bruns May Lose Job After Drunk Driving Arrest
November 8th, 2007
LAKE COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA - A Lake County sheriff’s deputy could lose her job after being arrested in Madison for drunk driving - her second arrest since 2003.
Police in Madison arrested 22-year-old Emily Bruns for driving under the influence two weeks ago. Bruns has been with the Lake County sheriff’s department for less than two years. She’s on administrative leave, meaning she’s still with the department, but can’t report to work, or get paid, as her case goes through court.
The arrest of any officer of the law sends a wave of disappointment through the ranks of the department. Lake County Sheriff Roger Hartman said, “It’s a shock to us because we don’t expect it. Law enforcement officers, in my book, are held to the higher standard.”
Read MoreHyde County South Dakota State’s Attorney Jennifer’s Sexual Relationship With Former Highmore Police Chief Ken Huber, His Being Accused Of His Wife’s Murder, And Lowrie’s Presence At His Home Prior To Police After Wife’s Murder Brings Up Ethics Questions
November 8th, 2007
HYDE COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA - More than 10 days after Highmore’s former police chief was accused of killing his wife, it remains unclear this afternoon whether the Hyde County State’s Attorney is still serving in that role.
Finding out what’s happened to Hyde County’s State’s Attorney Jennifer Lowrie - and the status of the office in Hyde County - is proving difficult.
The chairman of the Hyde County Commission today refused to say whether Lowrie is still the state’s attorney, and commissioners couldn’t say either, he said.
Lowrie’s presence at the home of murder suspect Ken Huber, immediately after his wife was shot, raises ethical questions and may jeopardize the murder case, a national legal expert and former defense lawyer has said.
Also, Lowrie admitted to having a sexual relationship with Huber, authorities have stated in court documents.
Read MoreFormer Highmore South Dakota Police Chief Ken Huber Arrested, Charged With Murdering His Wife
November 7th, 2007
HIGHMORE, SOUTH DAKOTA - Ken Huber has been arrested as a suspect in the death of his wife Pam Huber.
Huber, 41, former police chief, was charged with first-degree murder and manslaughter in the first degree, according to a complaint filed in Hyde County today.
“He was arrested without incident” Attorney General Larry Long said this evening. He said no other arrests are expected.
Pam Huber was shot Oct. 28 and died Friday at Avera McKennan Hospital, after her family decided to remove her from life-support.
Huber’s 11-year-old daughter was sleeping next to her mother Sunday night when the gunshot woke her, according to a protection order. The girl woke to find her mother bleeding and Ken Huber, her father and the victim’s husband, with a gun in his hand.
Ken Huber had been questioned by Division of Criminal Investigation agents regarding the case.
Read MoreFormer South Dakota State Rep. Ted Klaudt Found Guilty Of Raping Two Foster Children
November 7th, 2007
PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA - The jury has found former state Rep.Ted Klaudt guilty on all four counts of second-degree rape.
A Hughes County jury began its deliberations in the second-degree rape trial of Klaudt on allegations involving two foster daughters early this evening. Word came that they had reached a verdict just after 8 p.m.
Klaudt, a 49-year-old farmer from rural Corson County, is charged with four counts of second-degree rape. The alleged victims, both foster daughters placed in the Klaudt home by the state Corrections Department, say he tricked them into allowing him to physically examine their breasts and vaginal areas by telling them he could help them make money by harvesting and selling their reproductive eggs.
Patricia DeVaney, lead prosecutor in the case, told the jury in her closing arguments that the case involved deception, manipulation and a violation of both the girls’ trust and their bodies.
Read MoreLake County South Dakota Deputy Sheriff Emily Bruns Charged With Drunk Driving, Again
October 31st, 2007
LAKE COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA - A Lake County deputy was arrested and charged last week on suspicion of drunken driving.
Emily Bruns, 22, was ticketed by Madison police on Oct. 25.
This is the second time she has faced drunken driving charges in the past 4 1/2 years, according to court records. Deputy Sheriff Tim Walburg said Bruns, who was hired in August 2005, is still employed with the sheriff’s office and has been put on administrative leave pending the outcome in court.
“Our office is trying to complete our own internal investigation,” he said.
Policies are in place that provide direction on dealing with these situations, he said, but each situation is dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Bruns’ first court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 15 at 9 a.m. State’s Attorney Ken Meyer said her case will proceed as any other through the court system.
Read MoreProtection Order Names Former Highmore South Dakota Police Chief Ken Huber As One Who Shot His Wife
October 30th, 2007
HIGHMORE, SOUTH DAKOTA - Court documents filed Monday in Minnehaha County accuse the former police chief of Highmore of shooting of his wife Sunday.
Ken Huber, the former police chief of both Highmore and Miller, has been questioned but not arrested in connection with the shooting of his wife, Pamela Huber, late Sunday. But a protection order filed Monday by Pamela Huber’s son Jeremy Mason and her sister Nadine Stephenson allege that Ken Huber, 41, shot his 46-year-old wife in the head with a pistol.
Pamela Huber was flown to Avera McKennan Hospital where she has been listed in critical condition. The court document states Huber was shot once in the forehead with a Glock .44 caliber pistol while she was in bed with one of her daughters. The order goes on to state that Huber is “not expected to survive.”
“(The) bullet is still lodged in her brain,” according to court documents.
Read MoreFormer Highmore South Dakota Police Chief Ken Huber Questioned After His Was Was Shot
October 30th, 2007
HIGHMORE, SOUTH DAKOTA - Former Highmore Police Chief Ken Huber is being questioned after his wife, Pam, was shot last weekend, according to Sara Rabern, spokeswoman for the state Attorney General’s Office.
Law enforcement officials received a 911 call from Ken Huber about midnight Sunday, she said. She declined to discuss the call or the incident while it is under investigation.
Pam Huber, Highmore’s finance officer, was flown to Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls and is listed in critical condition.
Attorney General Larry Long would not say whether or not Ken Huber is a suspect in the shooting.
The state Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating, Rabern said. Ken Huber was not arrested, she said.
Huber was Highmore police chief from December 1999 to June, and Miller police chief from June to Sept. 28, Rabern said.
Outspoken Anti-Drunk-Driving Advocate, South Dakota Office Of Highway Safety Director Roy Meyer, Turns Out To Be Full Of Shit - Arrested, Suspended, Charged With Drunk Driving - Nice Job Roy!
October 28th, 2007
PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA - A longtime South Dakota spokesman against drunken driving is free today after his own arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Roy Meyer, director of the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety, failed sobriety tests after a traffic stop in Pierre. He now is on administrative leave from his job with the Department of Public Safety.
“He was stopped for an equipment violation,” said Elton Blemaster, the Pierre police chief. “The officer had reason to believe he had been drinking. Meyer was ordered to complete sobriety tests. He did not successfully complete those tests and was booked on first-offense DUI without incident.”
Blemaster said the traffic stop occurred at 10:48 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of West Dakota and Roberts on the west side of Pierre. He said he didn’t think anyone was in the vehicle with Meyer. He would not give details on the equipment violation or alcohol content of Meyer’s blood.
Read MoreCanton South Dakota Police Officer Robert Hilt Charged With Attacking His Estranged Wife
September 27th, 2007
CANTON, SOUTH DAKOTA - A Canton police officer charged with domestic assault has been suspended pending the outcome of his case.
Robert Hilt, 48, has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor simple assault against his estranged wife, Kathy Hilt. The indictment filed last week alleges he attempted to cause the woman bodily injury.
According to an affidavit, Kathy Hilt was taking items from their pickup when her husband grabbed and twisted her arm. He again grabbed her arm after she broke free, she said.
The Department of Criminal Investigation agent who took the report observed bruises on the woman’s arm and determined the Robert Hilt was the primary aggressor.
Hilt told the agent he tried to restrain his wife and keep her out of the truck but said the woman began the violence when she elbowed him.
Whitewood South Dakota Police Officer Hohn Wainman Sr. Hits Motorcylce At Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Charged With Careless Driving
August 25th, 2007
WHITEWOOD, SOUTH DAKOTA – A temporary Whitewood police officer has been charged with careless driving for running into a motorcyclist during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
The Highway Patrol said John Wainman Sr., 62, had the collision at 1:13 a.m. on Aug. 10 when he was trying to turn around on Interstate 90.
The motorcycle driver managed to keep his machine upright, but a passenger was thrown off. Both suffered minor injuries.
Wainman was the police chief in Belle Fourche until he was fired for an undisclosed reason last year after state officials investigated him.
Wainman was hired as a temporary officer at Whitewood before the rally started to replace a permanent officer who had resigned, said Whitewood Mayor Mike Weyrich.
Former South Dakota Circuit Court Judge Jay Tapken Sentenced To 8 Years In Prison For $14K Theft - Fourth Felony Conviction
July 26th, 2007
SOUIX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA – A former circuit judge who admitted stealing money from his most recent employer was sentenced Monday to eight years in prison.
Jay Tapken, 54, embezzled more than $14,000 from First Step Counseling in Sioux Falls, where he was a bookkeeper.
Deputy Minnehaha County state’s attorney Paul Bengford said Tapken went to the agency for care when he was released from prison after his fourth drunken driving conviction. He was hired there part time to use his connections with lawyers to promote First Step and later accepted a bookkeeping job.
Bengford said that from September to January, Tapken withdrew cash using a business debit card on 95 occasions, often using the money to gamble. He also made several charges to the business account, including vacation airfare.
Judge Pat Riepel called the conduct “appalling.”
“You violated this woman’s trust and this facility’s trust over and over and over,” she said.
Read MoreHanson County South Dakota Sheriff’s Department Chase Kills Driver And Two Children, Sends Third Child To Hospital With Serious Injuries - Cop’s Justification: “Our Main Concern Was The Safety Of The Kids”
June 17th, 2007
BRIDGEWATER, SOUTH DAKOTA – A man kidnapped three of his own children Thursday night and led lawmen on a chase that lasted almost 45 minutes. The chase came to a fiery end near the intersection of 435th Avenue and 269th Street in Hutchinson County, where the driver and two of his kids died.
The high speed chase that started at the driver’s relatives house in Ethan.
Davison County Deputy Sheriff Mark Vaughan says, “He tied her up and put her in the bathroom and took the kids, and they are his kids.”
The driver didn’t have custody of his own kids and authorities were already looking for him on a parole violation. They say he led them on a high speed chase, at times going more than 90 miles per hour.
Read MoreSioux Falls South Dakota Class Action Red Light Camera Lawsuit Goes To Court
June 13th, 2007
SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA – It’s a lawsuit that could potentially affect more than 18,000 people in the Sioux Falls area. At issue: whether red light cameras violate the constitution.
The city sent I.L. Wiedermann a ticket in his name. But he claims an employee was driving a vehicle he owns and supposedly ran the red light.
Tuesday, the class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of everyone who’s received a red-light camera ticket in Sioux Falls went to court.
The central arguments in court were whether this can can be a class-action lawsuit, and whether Redflex, the company that provides the city of Sioux Falls with the cameras and equipment, can also be sued.
Drivers in Sioux Falls have paid about $1.5 million to the city thanks to something you might call a “robo-cop.”
Lou Raguse: Do you feel like you’re fighting for more than yourself here?
I.L. Wiederman: Yes I do.
Former South Dakota Circuit Judge Jay Tapken Admits To $16,000 Theft From His Employer
June 12th, 2007
SOUIX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA – A former circuit judge admitted this morning to stealing from his employer to support a gambling habit.
As bookkeeper for First Step Counseling in Sioux Falls, Jay Tapken used a company debit card to steal some $16,000 over five months, prosecutors alleged. Tapken pleaded guilty today to grand theft by embezzlement.
Tapken could get up to 10 years in prison.
Deputy state’s attorney Paul Bengford said he will seek a longer sentence than he would for a typical defendant because of Tapken’s history with the courts.
The embezzlement allegation is not the first time Tapken has been in the defendant’s chair. He has prior convictions for drunken driving, hit and run and failing to pay taxes.
Tapken was appointed to a circuit judgeship in 1981 in Yankton
Marshall County South Dakota Deputy Sheriff Ryan Meyer Fired For Suspicion Of Smoking Marijuana
June 6th, 2007
MARSHALL COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA – A Marshall County deputy sheriff has been fired on suspicion of smoking marijuana.
Sheriff Dale Elsen says the allegation against Ryan Meyer came from officials at the state law officers training academy in Pierre. Law officers from across the state receive their formal training at the academy.
Meyer will be in court next Monday on the marijuana charge. He was arrested on May 15th after a probe by the state Division of Criminal Investigation.
Marshall County South Dakota Deputy Sheriff Ryan Meyer Arrested, Fired
May 31st, 2007
MARSHALL COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA – Early in May Sheriff Dale Elsen received word from the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation Training Academy that a deputy sheriff from Marshall County was using marijuana. The information came as a result of a tip from a prosecutor’s office in New Jersey which had learned of the situation online.
On May 10 Sheriff Elsen held a meeting with his deputies. An investigation was started by the DCI and local law enforcement officers and Ryan Meyer was placed on suspension pending an investigation.
On May 15 Meyer was arrested for possession and ingesting marijuana and his employment as a Marshall County deputy sheriff was terminated. Meyer provided a $500 personal recognizance bond and he was released from custody. His initial court date has been set for June 11 at 1 p.m. Meyer began his employment as a Marshall County deputy sheriff last December 12.
Read MoreMarshall County South Dakota Deputy Sheriff Ryan Meyer Arrested, Fired
May 31st, 2007
MARSHALL COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA – Early in May Sheriff Dale Elsen received word from the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation Training Academy that a deputy sheriff from Marshall County was using marijuana. The information came as a result of a tip from a prosecutor’s office in New Jersey which had learned of the situation online.
On May 10 Sheriff Elsen held a meeting with his deputies. An investigation was started by the DCI and local law enforcement officers and Ryan Meyer was placed on suspension pending an investigation.
On May 15 Meyer was arrested for possession and ingesting marijuana and his employment as a Marshall County deputy sheriff was terminated. Meyer provided a $500 personal recognizance bond and he was released from custody. His initial court date has been set for June 11 at 1 p.m. Meyer began his employment as a Marshall County deputy sheriff last December 12.
Read MoreFormer South Dakota Lawmaker Ted Klaudt Facing Serial Child Molestation Charges For Assaults On Foster Children And Legislative Pages
May 19th, 2007
WALKER, SOUTH DAKOTA – A former South Dakota lawmaker is accused of molesting his own foster children and legislative pages.
Ted Klaudt, 49, a Republican rancher from Walker, faces a long list of charges: eight counts of rape, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of witness tampering, sexual contact with a person under 16, and stalking.
Court documents mention five possible victims. Three were foster children between the ages of 15 and 19 who lived with Klaudt’s family. One is a cousin of one of those girls, and the fifth is a friend of Klaudt’s daughter.
In the most disturbing accusation, the girls say Klaudt had them convinced they could earn up to $20,000 by donating their eggs to a fertility clinic. And even though he has no medical training, the girls say Klaudt did all the supposed “exams” and “procedures” himself.
Read MoreSouth Dakota Backs Off On Recall Of Woman’s “MPEACHW” Personalized License Plates
May 9th, 2007
SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA - The state’s motor vehicle agency has changed course on its planned recall of a set of personalized license plates encouraging the impeachment of President George W. Bush.
“After reviewing case law on this issue, we have determined that the plate will not be recalled,” Paul Kinsman, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Revenue and Regulation, said in a news release Monday.
The plates, which read MPEACHW, were issued to Heather Morijah of Rapid City.
Deb Hillmer, director of the Division of Motor Vehicles, told the Rapid City Journal last week that the law gives the state authority to recall the plates, even if just one person complains.
Hillmer said the plates never would have been issued if DMV officials had caught their meaning at the time Morijah applied.
Read MoreFormer South Dakota Prison Guard Charles “Chuck” Leroy Crowell Faces Child Molestation Charges In California And Nebraska
April 28th, 2007
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - The District Attorney’s office filed felony sex-abuse charges Thursday against an ex-prison guard who allegedly persuaded a 14-year-old Escondido girl to run away with him after they met on the Internet.
Charles “Chuck” Leroy Crowell, of Sioux Falls, S.D., was charged in San Diego with six counts of lewd acts with a minor 14 to 15 years old, one count of unlawful sex with a child under 16 and one count of contact with a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense.
Crowell, 34, is in a South Dakota jail awaiting trial there on six sex-abuse and rape charges in the case. His South Dakota public defender did not comment because Crowell had not authorized him to speak to the media.
The former South Dakota State Penitentiary guard allegedly used the Web to find and develop a relationship with the girl, who lives in a gated community about 30 miles north of San Diego.
Read MoreState Supreme Court Asked To Overturn Former Centerville South Dakota Police Chief Rayne Adamson’s Witness Tampering Convictions Stemming From Child Sex Case Against Him And Witnesses Changing Story Before Trial
April 25th, 2007
PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA - A lawyer has urged the South Dakota Supreme Court to overturn former Centerville Police Chief Rayne Adamson’s convictions for witness tampering.
Sioux Falls lawyer Mike Butler says prosecutors failed to provide enough evidence to prove the witness tampering charges.
Adamson had been accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl — but she changed her story and said nothing happened. Butler says the girl changed her story three weeks before Adamson offered to pay for a lawyer to represent the girl.
But Assistant Attorney General Sherri Sundem Wald says the girl changed her story at Adamson’s request.
The Supreme Court heard arguments in the appeal today — but will decide the case later.
A jury last year acquitted Adamson on charges he had sex with the 14-year-old girl. But jurors convicted him of two counts of witness tampering and two counts of furnishing alcohol to underage people.
Read MoreVeteran Brookings South Dakota Fire Chief Darrell Hartmann Suspended In Wake Of Campaign Sign Vandalism
April 18th, 2007
BROOKINGS, SOUTH DAKOTA – Brookings Fire Chief Darrell Hartmann has been suspended without pay for three weeks because of what City Manager Dennis Falken calls a personnel matter tied to an investigation by the sheriff’s office.
Brookings County Sheriff Marty Stanwick said two former sheriff’s department employees vandalized one of his campaign signs last October while they were riding in a city-owned vehicle being driven by Hartmann.
The sheriff said Hartmann stayed in the vehicle but should have stopped the vandalism or reported it.
Hartmann, the fire chief since late 1998, was attending training out of state and was not available for comment.
Alcester South Dakota Police Officer Chris Waterbury Arrested For Killing Buffalo And Dogs
April 17th, 2007
ELK POINT, SOUTH DAKOTA – A part-time Alcester, S.D., police officer was arrested Thursday after he and an accomplice killed a buffalo and three dogs.
Chris Waterbury, 25, was arrested by officers from the Union County Sheriff’s Office, where he also has worked as a dispatcher since 2002. Also arrested was Joe West of Akron, Iowa.
Union County officers received a call from David Staum Thursday reporting that one of his 100 buffalo had been shot and its head, the hind quarter of each leg and meat off the upper shoulder cut off, said Dan Limoges, Union County sheriff. A friend of Staum’s was scouting for turkey when he found the carcass on Lawrence Road north of Richland, S.D. Staum, 47, kept the buffalo on his farm five miles north of Elk Point.
Officers also received reports of three dogs in the area that had been shot and killed, Limoges said.
Read MoreShannon County South Dakota Sheriff Jim Daggett Fired By County Commission, Hires Replacement ‘Jeffrey Not Help Him’
April 7th, 2007
SHANNON COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA – The sheriff in Shannon County has been fired.
Jim Daggett was let go on a three-to-two vote by the county commission, which then voted to hire Jeffrey Not Help Him as the new sheriff. Daggett has been sheriff for six years.
The ousted officer says he was surprised to learn that he’s been fired. Daggett says he’s not sure why he was fired, but it may be because he also works part-time as a marshal in Hermosa.
Not Help Him was a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s police department in the past, but he is not a certified law officer.
Nearly all sheriffs in South Dakota are elected, but the sheriff in Shannon County is appointed by the county board because it has a home-rule charter.
Campbell County Wyoming Deputy Sheriff, Captain Roy Seeman, Arrested From Drunk Driving
March 24th, 2007
DEADWOOD, WYOMING – A local sheriff’s captain is facing a drunken driving charge after he was caught drinking and driving in Deadwood, S.D.
Deadwood Police picked up Capt. Roy Seeman at about 12:33 a.m. March 11, according to police records and Seeman himself.
Seeman would not comment on any of the specifics in the case because it’s still pending. He is scheduled to appear Wednesday in Lawrence County Circuit Court.
“This is extremely difficult,” Seeman said. “I’m very upset because of the way it’s going to reflect on the department and the officers that work there. I’ve spent 22 years trying to do the best job I could … and this is an embarrassing situation for me personally and professionally.”
Seeman said he told Sheriff Bill Pownall and Undersheriff Scott Matheny immediately after the incident. He said he does not know of any pending disciplinary action against him.
Read MoreSouth Dakota Bill Proposed To Deal With Employers Hiring Wetbacks Includes Jail Time And Fines For Offenders
January 30th, 2007
PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA - Some South Dakota legislators want to crack down on companies that employ illegal aliens.
A bill offered in the state Senate would outlaw the hiring of illegal aliens.
Violators could be punished by ten days in jail and civil fines of two-thousand dollars for the first illegal who is hired.
Each illegal alien worker hired after that would cost an extra one-thousand dollars in fine money.
The legislation is scheduled for a hearing tomorrow in the state Senate Judiciary Committee.
Former South Dakota State Prison Guard Charles LeRoy Crowell Accused Of Child Molestation
January 9th, 2007
SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA - A 34-year-old former South Dakota State Penitentiary guard has been accused of two counts of rape involving a 14-year-old girl who had been reported missing from her home in California.
On Monday, Escondido, Calif., police alerted authorities in Sioux Falls that Charles LeRoy Crowell might have left the state with the girl, Sioux Falls Police spokesman Loren McManus said.
Crowell, 34, of Sioux Falls, was placed in the Minnehaha County Jail on two felony counts of fourth-degree rape.
The girl’s parents reported her missing after they went to wake her on Sunday morning and discovered she was not there.
Escondido police said Crowell might have flown from South Dakota to San Diego. On Thursday, he checked into a motel that the girl tried to visit, but her parents stopped the visit, according to police. Crowell checked out of the motel on Sunday.
Read MoreCenterville South Dakota Police Chief Nolan Clark’s Drunk Driving And Firearm Possession Plea Hearing Postponed
December 22nd, 2006
CENTERVILLE, SOUTH DAKOTA - Centerville Police Chief Nolan Clark’s plea hearing was postponed Thursday.
It probably will be rescheduled for Dec. 28 or Jan. 4, said Davison County State’s Attorney Patrick Smith.
Clark, 26, is charged with drunken driving and possession of a loaded firearm while intoxicated.
He was arrested Aug. 25 by a state Highway Patrol trooper.
Clark is free on a $500 unsecured bond. If convicted, he could face up to two years in jail and a $2,000 fine.
Imprisoned Tea South Dakota Police Chief, Edward McDowell, Serving Life In Prison Without Parole, Kicks The Bucket
September 7th, 2006
SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA - A former Tea police chief who was serving life behind bars for manipulating his lover into killing his wife 23 years ago died Wednesday, state prison officials said.
Edward McDowell, 57, died of apparent natural causes at a Sioux Falls hospital, the Department of Corrections said. An autopsy will be conducted.
McDowell was sentenced to life without parole for persuading Darlene Plucker, then 32, to shoot and kill his wife, Barbara McDowell, in June 1983. She said McDowell plotted to have her forge his wife’s signature on documents to get loans and insurance benefits.
Plucker served eight years of a 50-year sentence and was released. She had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit second-degree murder.
Police Chase Sends Two To The Hospital
March 8th, 2006
SOUTH DAKOTA, SIOUX COUNTY, SIOUX FALLS - An Iowa man and woman were injured when their car struck a tree as they were fleeing police, according to a news release from the Sioux County, Iowa Sheriff’s Office.
Justin C. Venard, 26, of Waukee, Iowa, and Gail Nunez-Pattea, of Hawarden, Iowa, were injured when the 1998 Ford Expedition Venard was driving went too fast around a curve and leaped the curb at the corner of Avenue M and 15th Street in Hawarden, according to the release.
Venard fled the scene on foot, but was apprehended by police, authorities said. He and Nunez-Pattea were taken to Hawarden Hospital. The vehicle was a total loss.
Venard was charged with eluding a pursuing law enforcement vehicle, interference with official acts, failure to maintain control and driving while suspended.
The accident is being investigated.
Read MoreFormer county accountant charged embezzling $83K, forgery
February 9th, 2006
SOUTH DAKOTA, RAPID CITY - A former accountant in the Pennington County Auditor?s Office has been indicted on charges of embezzling about $83,000 from the county.
Pennington County State?s Attorney Glenn Brenner confirmed Tuesday that Ann Redwood was indicted last week on one count of grand theft by embezzlement and three counts of forgery.
Pennington County Auditor Julie Pearson said Redwood, who is in her 30s, had worked in the auditor?s office from 1999 until May 2005, when she quit and moved to Montana. Just before Christmas, Redwood?s replacement discovered financial irregularities that eventually led to an investigation by the Pennington County Sheriff?s Office.
Pearson estimates that between December 2003 and May 2005, Redwood embezzled more than $83,000, mainly by writing refund checks on county departments? revenue accounts, then depositing the money into her own checking account. The checks ? about 70 of them ? were made out to financial institutions rather than to Redwood, Pearson said.
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