The South Dakota Unified Judicial System (UJS) is alerting the public to a jury duty scam targeting individuals in central South Dakota.

The Stanley County Sheriff’s Office has received over 30 reports today of suspicious phone calls in which scammers falsely claim the recipient has missed federal jury duty and now has a $2,000 arrest warrant. The callers are instructing people to send money via Bitcoin at local convenience stores. One victim reported losing $4,000.

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South Dakota’s annual Point-in-Time (PIT) homeless count identified 1,431 individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night in January, with a notable increase in those living unsheltered. However, specific numbers for Watertown were not available from the count, and local officials caution that the one-day snapshot presents challenges for accuracy, particularly in colder states.

The count, conducted on January 28th by the South Dakota Housing for the Homeless Consortium (SDHHC), aims to provide an annual snapshot of homelessness across the state. It includes people in shelters, transitional housing, agency-paid motels, and those unsheltered in vehicles, outdoors, or other places unfit for habitation. This data is used for measuring homelessness trends locally, statewide, and nationally.

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A Missouri woman has admitted that she committed a crime when she lied about the status of a chimp named Tonka.

Tonia Haddix pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to two counts of perjury and a count of obstruction of justice. All are felonies. Sentencing is currently set for July 16.

“Individuals go to court to seek justice,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said to reporters outside the courthouse in downtown St. Louis after Haddix’s plea hearing. “There can only be justice from the court if those individuals are honest.”

Continue reading “‘Chimp Crazy’ star Tonia Haddix admits to federal crimes for lying about Tonka” →

The South Dakota Highway Patrol has announced plans to conduct sobriety checkpoints in 14 counties throughout the state during April, including two within the KXLG listening area.

The initiative is aimed at deterring individuals from driving under the influence of alcohol.

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A federal law that makes it a crime to knowingly make false statements to influence the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. does not punish statements that are merely misleading, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The high court ruled for Patrick Daley Thompson, a lawyer and a former alderman who is the grandson of former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley and the nephew of former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, SCOTUSblog reports. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the unanimous March 21 decision.

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A Henry County family is suing the sheriff for false arrest and malicious prosecution, alleging the county has waged a campaign of “wild west justice” against them.

Curtis and Lori Wagler are suing Sheriff Rich McNamee, Henry County Deputy Carlos Lopez, and the county in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. They allege Lopez’s conduct was “so clearly abusive and in violation of the law that he earned his way to being the sole member of the county’s Brady-Giglio list” – a reference to the list of law enforcement officers known by prosecutors to have been untruthful in the course of their police work.

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Imagine being convicted of a crime—not because you intended to break the law, but simply because what you did was unknowingly illegal. That’s the problem we’re facing as mens rea (Latin for “guilty mind”) is increasingly ignored or watered down in our federal laws.

Without clear mens rea standards, innocent people can be punished for accidental or technical violations of the law. Additionally, the absence of intent requirements gives prosecutors unbridled discretion, which can lead to politically motivated or unfair charges.

Continue reading “Crime or Mistake? Why Intent Matters in the Law” →

A Canadian citizen has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for intentionally damaging energy infrastructure facilities in both North and South Dakota, thanks in part to assistance from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office among several other agencies.

United States District Court Judge Daniel M. Traynor issued the sentence to Cameron Monte Smith, 50, on Monday, March 10, 2025. The sentence was announced jointly by Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl for the District of North Dakota, and U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell for the District of South Dakota.

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South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden has signed a bill that will loosen his state’s felony ingestion statutes, which are among the nation’s strictest laws on drug use.

Senate Bill 83 reduces first- and second-offense ingestion of controlled substances from class five felonies to class one misdemeanors. Maximum penalties for the charges, which typically stem from urine test results, will fall from five years in prison and a $10,000 fine to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

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Iowa law enforcement officials could be subject to a Class D felony charge if they defy state law on immigration enforcement under a bill approved by a House subcommittee Wednesday.

House Study Bill 285 states that law enforcement officers, including elected sheriffs, who “knowingly and intentionally” fail to comply with the state’s laws regarding federal immigration law enforcement, would face a Class D felony charge. The charge is punishable by up to five years in jail and fines of between $1,025 and $10,245.

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