JUDGE ORDERS IOWA MAN CONVICTED IN FATAL HIT-AND-RUN TO BE RELEASED FROM PRISON EARLY
CHEROKEE, IA – The Cherokee, Iowa, man, who was convicted in a fatal 2022 hit-and-run accident, is out of jail after spending less than four months of a five-year sentence behind bars.
According to Iowa Department of Corrections records 31-year-old Casey Herwig was released from custody, on Monday, December 9th, after serving 105 days in jail of a 5-year sentence.
Back on August 26th, Judge Charles Borth sentenced Herwig to up to 5-years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a charge of “knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.”
That incident happened on December 26, 2022 when Herwig hit bicyclist Phillip Watterson, and then left the scene.
On September 30th, Herwig submitted a motion asking his sentence be “reconsidered.” Part of that motion was a letter from Herwig apologizing to Watterson’s family for the pain he caused them. Herwig also promised to be “productive member of society” if released.
On December 2nd, Judge Borth ordered Herwig be released from jail, and placed on probation for two years. In his order Judge Borth said he believed it was appropriate to reconsider Herwig’s sentence.
TWO INJURED IN SHOOTING NEAR ABERDEEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ABERDEEN, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Two people were sent to the hospital after a shooting in Aberdeen on Tuesday.
According to the Aberdeen Police Department, there is no longer a threat to the public and all individuals involved have been accounted for.
Around 11 a.m., police were dispatched to a residence on the 700 block of North Congress Street for several shots fired.
When they arrived, officers found an individual with an apparent gunshot wound and transported the individual to an area hospital.
Police also learned there was a second individual involved who fled the scene. Officers were able to identify the other individual and a vehicle description.
Alerts reported that police were looking for a white Chevy Equinox.
A South Dakota State Trooper located the vehicle in the 100 block of West Melgaard approximately 40 minutes after the initial call was made.
The individual involved was located and transported to an area hospital for an apparent gunshot wound.
Since the incident occurred near O.M. Tiffany Elementary School, area school districts were notified. The incident did not occur at the school and nobody in the school was injured.
Anyone with information related to the event is asked to call 605-626-7911.
ATTORNEY GENERAL MARTY JACKLEY AND TASK FORCE SEND WARNINGS TO VOICE SERVICE PROVIDERS THAT HAVE ALLOWED ILLEGAL ROBOCALLS
PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty Jackley says the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force has sent warning letters to four voice service providers who are suspected of transmitting illegal robocalls on their networks on behalf of one or more of their customers.
“Robocalls are not just nuisance, but they also can be illegal,” said Jackley. “These calls can be scams that prey on South Dakotans and other citizens.”
The Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force, which consists of 51 Attorneys General, takes legal action against those responsible for routing significant volumes of illegal robocall traffic into and across the United States. The four service providers receiving warning letters are:
*** KWK Communications, Inc.: KWK Communications received at least 129 traceback notices from the industry traceback group between 2020 and 2022, which included high volumes of calls associated with IRS and Social Security Administration scams, auto warranty scams, and utilities scams. In just one month in 2022, KWK allegedly routed more than 20,000 calls with illegally spoofed telephone numbers and more than 8.7 million calls made using invalid Caller ID numbers.
*** Inbound Communications, Inc.: Inbound Communications, Inc., formerly known as Inbound Inc., received at least 63 traceback notices between 2021 and 2022, including many about calls that involved imposter scams. Inbound is also estimated to have allegedly routed more than 28.4 million DirecTV and cable discount scam robocalls in a single month in 2022. The FTC previously issued a cease-and-desist demand to Inbound over these scam calls.
*** AKA Management, Inc.: AKA received at least 129 traceback notices between 2020 and 2022, including about calls that were government imposter scams and tech support scams. AKA is also estimated to have allegedly routed about 12.1 million Amazon and Apple imposter robocalls to consumers in a single month in 2022.
and
*** CallVox LLC: CallVox received more than 47 traceback notices between 2020 and 2022 warning of unlawful or suspicious robocalls that it helped move into and through the U.S. telephone network, including thousands of calls to people who were registered on the Do Not Call list and calls placed using illegally spoofed telephone numbers.
POPULAR DOWNTOWN RAPID CITY EVENT MAY LOSE PERMIT FOR 2025 SUMMER SEASON
RAPID CITY, S.D. – The fate of Rapid City’s popular outdoor concert series, Summer Nights, that draws thousands of people to downtown Rapid City, is now in the hands of the Rapid City Council, as it considers whether or not to approve the events 2025 permit application.
Summer Nights is a free concert series for all ages in the heart of downtown Rapid City held every Thursday night from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., from Memorial Day to Labor Day, bringing music, food, and community spirit to the heart of Rapid City. Now in its 17th year, its location at the intersection of St. Joseph and 7th Street has become a point of contention, with some businesses claiming it disrupts their operations and negatively impacts their revenue.
In January 2024, a group of 41 businesses met to discuss their concerns with Summer Nights, including Bokujo Ramen, Who’s Hobby House, Black Hills Mushrooms, Independent Ale House, and numerous others. In a letter addressed to the Summer Nights board, they cited a loss of revenue due to limited parking, increased theft, and unfair competition from food trucks. Some businesses claimed a 40-60% loss in sales during each Summer Nights event.
Over the past year, the Summer Nights Board, City Council, Visit Rapid City, some downtown businesses and a mediator have been discussing a location change but have been unable to settle the issue.
In a statement released by business owners and despite the issue of location, the overall message was one of support. The statement reads:
“While we feel strongly that Summer Nights is disrupting downtown commerce, the second strongest feeling in the community is that no business owners want Summer Nights to end. The businesses represented believe that a free concert series is a wonderful way to reward the hard-working people of Rapid City and the surrounding communities. We have seen the smiles, the hands being held, the rugs being cut, and the laughs being had. Unfortunately, we are seeing it out of the front window of our businesses. The community is imploring you, the board, to look at the positives of this — you have created an event that the community wants to see succeed. We look at this as a community coming together to help everyone succeed. It is the farthest thing from ‘us versus you’, this is intended to create a ‘we’ moving forward.”
Judd Nielsen is the president of the Summer Nights Board. In an interview with KELO News, he said, “I get that we do have an impact on some businesses. We do close the street. But we also bring 5,000 people downtown every week and that’s free marketing. Right when you’ve got drive-by traffic that can actually see what’s in your store, that has to be a benefit to some, maybe not on that day, but it has to be a benefit overall.”
Nielsen claims the conflict has made it difficult to organize the event for the 2025 summer. At this time of year, talent and vendors are being booked for the summer event. He says there isn’t enough time to figure out all the details of having to move Summer Nights to a different location before summer 2025. “It’s not about location now,” he shared. “What we need is time. We’re asking for one more year so that we can figure out what the best location is for this event to move forward.”
He added, “We’re more than happy to continue to discuss a location change for the 2026 season,” said Nielsen “But at this time, and all of the planning that we have to do, we had to submit our permit for the 2025 season at its current location.”
The Rapid City Council is expected to review the permit application during its next meeting, Monday, December 16, 2024.
