The South Dakota Highway Patrol is reminding drivers to stay safe this Fourth of July holiday. Officials urge motorists to slow down, stay alert, and never drive under the influence. To protect travelers, extra troopers will be on patrol throughout the holiday period, focusing on impaired driving, speeding, and seatbelt enforcement.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has announced a sweeping 44-count felony indictment against Mitchell resident Eric Opperman. The charges include rape, aggravated incest, and child pornography offenses involving three children under age 14.
James Winter, a 57-year-old man from Letcher, South Dakota, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree rape and one count of aggravated incest in Davison County Court.
A 21-year-old Mitchell man, Azriel Fallis, has been sentenced to three years of probation and a $500 fine after pleading guilty to fourth-degree rape in Davison County. The charges stemmed from a November 2024 domestic incident involving a minor aged 13 to 16.
A former South Dakota Department of Social Services employee has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for embezzling nearly $1.8 million in state and federal funds. Lonna Carroll, convicted on two felony counts of aggravated grand theft, stole the money from Child Protection Services.
A Sioux Falls man, Roger Linder, is facing charges following a road rage incident that led to a crash on Veterans Parkway Sunday afternoon.
A Yankton woman died in a one-vehicle crash early Saturday morning about four miles south of Wagner, South Dakota. Authorities say the vehicle entered a ditch after the driver lost control and over-corrected on 394th Avenue around 1:45 a.m. A passenger from Wagner sustained minor injuries.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley is applauding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Texas’ age verification law for adult websites, clearing the way for South Dakota’s similar legislation to take effect.
The Sioux Falls Area Fugitive Task Force faced a high-risk arrest late last week when a suspect who had previously threatened law enforcement pulled a gun during a confrontation. The task force—comprised of members from the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, Sioux Falls Police Department, and South Dakota Highway Patrol—responded swiftly, with a sheriff’s deputy firing and striking the armed man.
A former Huron pastor is facing child pornography charges after authorities searched his home and church office. Kevin W. Koester, who served at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church since 2019, is charged with two counts of manufacturing or possessing child pornography. Investigators say two illegal images were found on a church computer.