The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is requiring law enforcement agencies statewide to verify the accuracy of their breathalyzer instruments after discovering calibration errors that rendered hundreds of DWI breath tests inadmissible in court.

The issue first came to light in Aitkin County, where defense attorney Chuck Ramsay found that an officer failed to properly calibrate a DataMaster machine despite documentation claiming otherwise. That discovery led to the dismissal of several DWI cases and the invalidation of 73 breath tests.

Continue reading “Hundreds of DWI cases in doubt after breathalyzer goof” →

A longtime South Dakota state employee from Spearfish was indicted this week in Lawrence County for allegedly falsifying child abuse reports.

Attorney General Marty Jackley, who announced the charges against 56-year-old Nova J. Collins in a Wednesday press release, said the charges were the first to be filed under a new state law that requires all state employees to disclose suspected “improper conduct” by their coworkers.

Continue reading “Former state employee accused of falsifying records in child abuse cases” →

Members of the advisory board that oversees state prison operations want to meet more often, tour facilities and keep a closer eye on inmate work and rehabilitation programs.

The Corrections Commission met virtually a week and a day after lawmakers voted during a special legislative session to build a $650 million, 1,500-bed men’s prison in northeast Sioux Falls.

Continue reading “New Corrections Commission leadership pledges closer oversight of prison operations” →

President Donald Trump has nominated the head of South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation to lead the U.S. Marshals Service in the state.

Dan Satterlee was recommended for the job by his boss, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, according to a Tuesday news release from Jackley’s office. Satterlee’s nomination had the support of all three members of the state’s congressional delegation, the release says.

Continue reading “State detective agency boss nominated to lead U.S. Marshals Service in South Dakota” →

Gov. Larry Rhoden has issued 65 pardons and one commutation since taking office in January, according to records on file with the South Dakota Secretary of State.

As of Sept. 29, Rhoden had also denied four pardon requests, and denied one request for a commutation.

Continue reading “South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden issues 65 pardons, one commutation since taking office” →

State Rep. Mike Derby says South Dakota should be looking to its northern counterpart for ideas on the state’s prison system.

Last week, lawmakers in South Dakota approved the construction of a $650 million prison in Sioux Falls. Governor Rhoden, who gave the new prison his final approval, also created a task force to determine how to expand rehabilitation services.

Continue reading “State Rep. Derby says South Dakota should look to North Dakota for ideas on criminal justice system” →

As South Dakota moves forward with a hotly debated prison project, reform experts are looking at what lies ahead.

Governor Larry Rhoden last week signed a bill to construct a $650 million men’s correctional facility in Sioux Falls. Backers said it is needed to replace a more than century old prison dubbed “The Hill.” Aside from the price tag, opponents questioned the need by pointing to decreasing violent crime numbers.

Continue reading “South Dakota’s new prison project doesn’t erase reform questions” →

A state-spanning sting operation in June drew indictments for the owners of five smoke shops in South Dakota this week, according to Attorney General Marty Jackley.

The indictments, issued between Sept. 16 and Tuesday, were the result of targeted purchases of products marketed as legal in stores in Aberdeen, Sioux Falls, Pierre and Rapid City.

Continue reading “Statewide sting operation returns charges for smoke shop owners” →

The Council Bluffs Police Department was among the agencies assisting in a nationwide fraud conspiracy case that has seen four Georgia men sentenced to federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa announced Thursday that according to public court documents, between March 2022 and April 2024, 26-year-old Russell Tafron Weatherspoon, 23-year-old Karl Andre Dieudonne, 32-year-old Demonte Tequis Brazil, and 25-year-old Gregory Lamar Scorza ran a multi-state fraud scheme–leading victims in several states, including Iowa, to believe that an arrest warrant had been issued for them for failing to appear in court.

Continue reading “Iowa judge sentences four Georgia men in multi-state text scam case” →

South Dakota’s first state public defender and his staff of four have taken on 43 cases since taking their first this winter.

Lawmakers created and funded the Office of Indigent Legal Services in 2024 to address the ballooning cost of lawyers for people who have a constitutional right to one but can’t afford it.

The state convened a task force to address that issue in 2023, spurred in part by the doubling of county-paid public defense bills in the space of 10 years.

Continue reading “New state public defense office has taken 43 cases so far” →