Years ago, domestic methamphetamine users would make their own drugs, sometimes shaking up cold medicine and camp fuel cocktails in plastic pop bottles.

The days of domestic drug production by way of local meth labs are long gone, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 2024 National Threat Assessment, as well as interviews with numerous law enforcement sources in South Dakota.

According to the DEA assessment, nearly all the nation’s meth, fentanyl, heroin and cocaine comes from across the southern U.S. border, and the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels in Mexico.

Continue reading “Drug cartels: A link in every illegal fentanyl pill in South Dakota, not just on reservations” →

Most people go through life never stepping foot inside a courtroom. Most people, that is, except for attorneys, judges, journalists, the few of us chosen to be jurors, and an even more select group, those who are accused of crimes.

If I were talking now with my dear parents, may they rest in peace, I would quickly assure them that my many days spent in courtrooms have been in a professional capacity, not as a defendant trying to avoid the slammer.

As a reporter and later as the boss of reporters, I have had an up-close vantage point to watch our court system as it works. I claim no special expertise. But 50 years in a ringside seat on the judiciary have given me perspective that is worth sharing.

Continue reading “To preserve our justice system, we need to accept outcomes we dislike” →

A double stabbing that left one man dead and another hospitalized led to a rare extradition order to state custody from the Yankton Sioux Tribe this week.

Mackenzie Antelope, 18, of Lake Andes, is charged with alternate counts of first- and second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter in the death of 22-year-old Lake Andes resident Quinlan Ream.

Antelope is accused of stabbing Ream and 33-year-old Dylan Oulette of Lake Andes in a motel in that Charles Mix County town. He’s facing an aggravated assault charge for the Oulette stabbing.

Continue reading “Homicide investigation sparks rare level of state-tribal cooperation” →

A new law signed by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is forcing Sioux City police to rethink where a pair of traffic cameras can be placed.

The new law requires municipalities to consider traffic and crash statistics when determining whether or not a traffic camera is justified. Additionally, cities are required to obtain a permit from the Iowa Department of Transportation to use the cameras.

Continue reading “Traffic cameras required to be moved in Sioux City” →

Groups that assist crime victims across the United States are bracing for significant financial pain after the amount available from a major federal victim services fund plunged $700 million this year.

Congress recently lowered spending to $1.2 billion from the fund, which provides grants to nonprofit and local programs across the country.

Continue reading “Crime victims may get fewer services as federal aid drops. States weigh how to help.” →

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has revealed that 13 tribal law enforcement officers, along with an additional 11 local and state officers, are set to participate in the state’s inaugural tribal law enforcement training session starting on June 3 in Pierre.

Governor Kristi Noem and Attorney General Jackley announced in April the introduction of the first basic certification course to be conducted in South Dakota. Previously, only a few tribal officers received training in the state, with the majority trained in New Mexico, necessitating extended time away from their families. The 13-week course, taking place at the George S. Mickelson Criminal Justice Center, allows tribal officers to return home on weekends.

“We thank Gov. Noem for her support of this training session, and our tribes for trusting us with their officers,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Training tribal officers alongside state and local officers serving near our reservations strengthens relationships, increases consistency, and makes sense for South Dakota.”

The training will include tribal officers from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Oglala Sioux Tribe, and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Sioux Tribe. The remainder of the 24-member class will be comprised of officers from various non-tribal law enforcement agencies.

Participants are mandated to complete coursework covering a range of topics, including law, arrest control tactics, firearms, vehicle handling, and criminal investigations. The program is instructed by full-time staff from the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and adjunct instructors from law enforcement agencies statewide.

“We also want to thank U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell and the BIA for providing instructors to help with the Special Law Enforcement Commission component of the training course,” said Attorney General Jackley.

Graduation for this class is scheduled for Sept 3 in Pierre.

You can read the full article at NewsCenter1.

In a significant move to enhance legal representation for individuals unable to afford an attorney, South Dakota is in the process of establishing a new statewide office. The aim is to ensure that those with the right to counsel under state or federal law receive improved legal services.

During its inaugural meeting on May 16, 2024, the Commission on Indigent Legal Services took a crucial step by approving the posting of a job announcement. The announcement is for the position of chief defender, who will lead the newly created Office of Indigent Legal Services. The chief defender will be tasked with overseeing a team of public defense professionals, with the goal of providing comprehensive indigent representation services across South Dakota. This includes handling appeals of criminal cases, habeas corpus petitions, and cases involving the abuse or neglect of children.

Continue reading “South Dakota Establishes New Office of Indigent Legal Services and Seeks Chief Defender” →

Minnesota has expunged nearly 58,000 misdemeanor cannabis records ahead of schedule, state officials announced Monday.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said it’s completed the process of expunging misdemeanor cannabis records as required by the state’s recreational marijuana law. State officials had previously expected to finish that work by August.

Continue reading “Minnesota expunges nearly 58,000 misdemeanor cannabis records” →

A year after Congress blocked D.C.’s revised criminal code, complaining it was soft on crime, the House has gone a step further by passing its own D.C. crime bill.

The House passed the D.C. CRIMES Act on Wednesday with 225 votes, garnering support from Republicans as well as 18 Democrats. Proponents said the intention of the bill is to “immediately make everyone safer” in the District of Columbia. 181 no votes were also cast.

Continue reading “Congress aims to exert control over D.C. crime with new bill” →

The U.S. Justice Department sued Iowa on Thursday over its new law that would give the state the authority to arrest and deport some migrants, making it the second lawsuit filed in a single day that seeks to block legislation passed earlier this year by state lawmakers.

Both the Justice Department’s lawsuit and another suit filed by civil rights and immigrant rights groups argued the state law was preempted by federal law and should be declared invalid.

Continue reading “Iowa law lets police arrest migrants. The federal government and civil rights groups are suing” →