PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley commends the South Dakota Supreme Court for unanimously upholding the conviction of a Spink County man who had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from his elderly mother.
“This is a case of elder abuse, and crimes committed against the most vulnerable members of our society will not be tolerated,” said Attorney General Jackley. ‘ Thank you to the Attorney General Office staff who followed the money and brought this case to justice.”
Ronald Clemensen of Conde was convicted in 2024 by a Spink County Jury of two counts of Aggravated Grand Theft by Exploitation and five counts of Grand Theft by Exploitation. He had been accused of diverting money from his mother to pay for personal expenses, including his own struggling business. The funds stolen ranged from an excess of $5,000 to more than $500,000 on each count. All prison sentences were suspended, and he was placed on probation.
Clemensen appealed his decision, arguing the State had not proven the elements of the charged offenses beyond a reasonable doubt and that the Court failed to properly instruct the jury. Justices disagreed saying that the evidence met the elements of the crime and no error occurred, proving Clemensen had taken advantage of his elderly mother.
“From our review of the record, there is sufficient evidence from which a rational jury could find that Clemensen acted for the purpose of bringing about some financial gain to himself or that he gained an unfair or dishonest advantage by a breach of duty or confidence,” wrote the Court.
Both the initial investigation and prosecution of the case were conducted by the Attorney General’s Office, which also handled the appeal before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court’s opinion can be read here: