MITCHELL, S.D. – Peyton Mandel, a former Mitchell Legion baseball player, is scheduled to plead guilty to being an accessory to a felony, with his rape charges set to be dismissed.

Mandel is one of six Post 18 players initially charged with rape after an incident involving two 16-year-old victims at a Rapid City hotel last year.

This plea follows 19-year-old Lincoln Bates, who recently pleaded guilty to the same charge and agreed to testify against his teammates. Additional players are facing charges in juvenile court.

Earlier this year, Mitchell baseball coach Luke Norden was acquitted of felony charges and not reporting child abuse, and charges against former Mitchell Baseball Association board member Jeremy Borgan were dismissed.

Mandel’s court appearance is set for Monday afternoon in Rapid City.

 

HURON, S.D. – A 15-year-old girl has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 41-year-old Nichole Klich in Huron, South Dakota.

This marks the second juvenile charged in the case; a 15-year-old boy was previously charged for the same crime.

The names of the juveniles have not been released.

Brookings County State’s Attorney Dan Nelson is overseeing the case due to a conflict of interest with the newly-appointed Beadle County State’s Attorney.

Nelson intends to transfer both cases to adult court.

The girl appeared in juvenile court, where she was given a $100,000 cash bond.

Both teens are currently held in a Juvenile Detention Center in Huron.

The girl’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 2nd.

 

ANOKA, MN – The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association says Anoka County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Tanner Shipman has been awarded the 2024 “Officer of the Year” for his heroic off-duty actions in South Dakota.

Shipman was on vacation in Sturgis in August of 2023 when he noticed a male suspect engaged in an incident with a South Dakota State trooper. Nearby, the suspect was pointing and shooting a firearm at the trooper, which caused Deputy Shipman to promptly retrieve a firearm belonging to a family member with his group and assist the trooper who was on the ground.

After identifying himself as law enforcement to the trooper, Shipman and the trooper saw the suspect attempt to get into the trooper’s squad vehicle and a shootout continued.

The suspect was ultimately taken into custody and Shipman assisted with medical care until further responders arrived. The suspect survived his injuries and later pled guilty to shooting at the trooper.

Shipman is an 18 year veteran of the Anoka County Minnesota Sheriff’s Office. He’ll receive his award Saturday.

 

SIOUX COUNTY, IA – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has detected another case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a herd of dairy cattle in Sioux County, Iowa.

This is the second case of bird flu being detected in a dairy herd in the county.

HPAI can travel in wild birds but is often fatal to domestic birds such as chickens and turkeys. Just over a month ago, the USDA announced bird flu had been found among dairy cows in several states. Now, they are tightening the restrictions on taking those livestock over state lines.

Suspected signs of HPAI in poultry include:

Sudden increase in bird deaths without any clinical signs

Lethargy and/or lack of energy and appetite

Decrease in egg production

Soft, thin-shelled and/or misshapen eggs

Swelling of the head, eyelids, comb, wattles, and hocks

Purple/blue discoloration of the wattles, comb, and legs

Difficulty breathing

Coughing, sneezing, and/or nasal discharge (runny nose)

Stumbling and/or falling down

Diarrhea

Suspected signs of HPAI in dairy cows include:

Decrease in food consumption with a simultaneous decrease in rumination

Clear nasal discharge

Drop in milk production

Tacky or loose feces

Lethargy

Dehydration

Fever

Thicker, concentrated, colostrum-like milk

Officials say that it is safe to enjoy poultry products. Consumers should utilize the proper handling and cooking of eggs and poultry products, including cooking to an internal temperature of 165˚F.

There is no concern about the safety of pasteurized milk or dairy products. Pasteurization has continually proven to successfully inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk.

If dairy producers suspect cases of HPAI, they should contact their herd veterinarian immediately. Possible cases must also be reported to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at (515) 281-5305.

 

PIERRE, S.D. – Thursday’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court not to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone does not impact South Dakota’s current abortion law, according to Attorney General Marty Jackley.

A group of pro-life doctors and medical associations challenged changes made by the FDA in the past 10 years that allowed more access to mifepristone.

Earlier this year, Attorney General Jackley joined 21 other attorneys general in supporting the group’s opposition to the FDA policies.

In its decision, the Supreme Court did not address whether the FDA lawfully acted when it had relaxed the rules for mifepristone’s use. Rather, the justices based their unanimous decision on procedural grounds, ruling that the opponents did not have the legal right to bring the suit against the FDA.

South Dakota abortion law makes it a Class 6 felony for anyone “who administers to any pregnant female or prescribes or procures for any pregnant female” a means for an abortion, except to save the life of the mother. The crime is punishable by two years in prison, a $4,000 fine or both.

“The court’s decision does not change the current FDA rules, and State law on mifepristone remains the same,” said Attorney General Jackley.

 

SANTEE, NE (Deborah Van Fleet / Nebraska News Connection) – Members of the Nebraska Santee Sioux Tribe hope a solution to their five-year water ordeal may be on the way.

Their tap water has been unusable for drinking or cooking since 2019, when unsafe manganese levels led the Environmental Protection Agency to issue a “no drink” order.

Kameron Runnels, vice chairman of the Santee Sioux Nation, said a bill passed in the Nebraska Legislature allows them to tap into the state’s Water Sustainability Fund for possibly as much as $20 million, although it is not a long-term solution. Ultimately, the tribe hopes to connect to the Randall Community Water District in South Dakota, which will cost roughly $53 million.

“Connecting to that water system would provide us that generational change to our water system and give us clean water for the next, who knows, maybe forever,” Runnels explained.

The tribe is waiting to hear the status of its Water Sustainability Fund application, and a $20 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant it applied for more than a year ago. For now, they continue to provide bottled water for the 800 members who reside on tribal lands, at a cost of nearly $15,000 a month.

A Bureau of Indian Affairs grant to cover the water costs for about a year recently ran out but Runnels pointed out they will soon receive a grant from the Omaha-based Sherwood Foundation, which should cover another year of bottled water. He noted nobody knows why the manganese levels are so high and pointed out the Indian Health Service went to great lengths to try to find available safe water.

“They used ground-penetrating radar, using airplane flights, looking for pockets of water all over our tribal lands,” Runnels recounted. “They did exploratory drilling in about 20 different sites but they could never find quality or quantity of water.”

Runnels added the Water Sustainability Fund and the attention they are getting from state and federal lawmakers has been encouraging. He regrets other Nebraska Tribes were not helped by the new state law and said water issues are rampant among the country’s Indian population.

“Somewhere around 50% of tribal households have some kind of water quality situation,” Runnels reported. “They either don’t have water or they just don’t have clean drinking water.”