YANKTON, S.D. – An 18-year-old Yankton man has been indicted in the fentanyl overdose death of a 15-year-old girl from rural Clay County.
Evan Nelson was indicted Monday by a Yankton County Grand Jury on three felony counts: One count of Distribution of a Controlled Substance to a Minor Resulting in Death, which is a Class C Felony and carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $50,000 fine; one count of Distribution of a Controlled Substance to a Minor, which is a Class Two Felony and carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and $50,000 fine; and one count of Unauthorized Possession of a Controlled Substance, which is a Class 5 Felony and carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Nelson was arrested Tuesday and is being held on a $500,000 cash only bond.
The 15-year-old female was found deceased in her bedroom on Dec. 23, 2023.
The South Dakota Attorney General’s Office will be assisting the Yankton County State’s Attorney with the prosecution of the case and Attorney General Marty Jackley stated that, quote, “This tragic case and the loss of a 15-year-old victim demonstrates the seriousness and dangers of fentanyl.”
The Investigation was handled by the state Division of Criminal Investigation, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Vermillion Police Department, and the Yankton Police Department.
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has announced that 11 state prison inmates have all pleaded not guilty to a combined 18 felony charges stemming from the March 27-28 disturbances at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.
The inmates entered their not guilty pleas during an arraignment Wednesday in Minnehaha Circuit Court.
Inmates face charges including aggravated assault, simple assault, damage to prison property, and starting fires within the prison. All inmates also face habitual offender charges that, if they are found guilty, could mean an increase in their current prison sentences.
The 11 inmates and their charges are:
*** Joshua D. Vortherms, 45, two counts of Aggravated Assault Against a Department of Corrections employee; and two counts of Simple Assault Against a Department of Corrections employee.
*** Lee D. Bernard, 32, one count of Intentional Damage to Property.
*** Taylor D. Cook, 22, one count of Intentional Damage to Property.
*** Markos J. Fernandez, 19, one count of Intentional Damage to Property.
*** John W. Lovejoy, 25, one count of Intentional Damage to Property.
*** Connor D. Shockey, 20, one count of Intentional Damage to Property.
*** Chaske M. White, 50, one count of Intentional Damage to Property.
*** James Ewing, 41, one count of Reckless Burning, and one count of Burning Within a Structure Where a Person is Lawfully Confined.
*** Curtis Carpenter, 39, one count of Reckless Burning, and one count of Burning Within a Structure Where a Person is Lawfully Confined.
*** Michael P. Hewitt, 35, one count of Reckless Burning, and one count of Burning Within a Structure Where a Person is Lawfully Confined.
*** Mahlon Kirkie, 22, one count of Reckless Burning, and one count of Burning Within a Structure Where a Person is Lawfully Confined.
All inmates are tentatively scheduled for jury trial the week of August 12.
ST. PAUL, MN (Mike Moen / Minnesota News Connection) – Minnesota is moving closer to ensure all workers are eligible for the state’s minimum wage of $10.85 an hour.
The Legislature has been taking action on a labor policy bill which includes a provision to essentially do away with minimum-wage carveouts. If passed, certain groups of workers, such as those hired by small businesses and employees 18 and younger, would no longer have to settle for the lower wage of $8.85 an hour.
Sen. Jennifer McEwen, DFL-Duluth, defended the changes during a Senate floor debate.
“Our businesses in Minnesota are prepared to have a good quality of life for the people in their businesses,” McEwen stated.
Republican senators argued the state is creating a burdensome environment for small businesses. The provision in a larger bill also raises the cap on annual wage adjustments tied to inflation from 2.5% to 5%. The omnibus bill cleared its final legislative hurdle Wednesday and now goes to the governor.
Some GOP senators said they acknowledged higher consumer costs are making life hard for low-wage workers.
Sen. Gene Dornink, R-Brownsdale, worried about the tone being set for small businesses.
“Unfortunately, some of the mandates that we’ve continued to pass over these last few years have made it so businesses are getting discouraged,” Dornink contended.
Democrats countered their approach is not about mandates but rather boosting the dignity of workers propping up the state’s economy. As for other provisions within the labor bill, there are new requirements for salary transparency in job postings, as well as child labor protections.
LOWER BRULE, S.D. – (John Hult, South Dakota Searchlight) – Eight of nine tribal governments in the state of South Dakota have endorsed the banishment of Gov. Kristi Noem from their lands.
The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe unanimously approved a resolution to bar Noem on Wednesday, according to Tribal Chairman Clyde Estes.
The vote comes one day after a similar resolution from the Crow Creek Sioux Tribal Council. Last week, the Yankton Sioux Tribe’s Business and Claims Committee endorsed a ban days after the tribal council of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate voted to ban Noem.
The Rosebud, Oglala, Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux tribes voted to bar the governor earlier this year.
The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe is the only one in the state that has not yet cast such a vote.
The bans began shortly after Noem delivered a speech on the U.S.-Mexico border that tied the impact of Mexican drug cartels to reservation communities. Noem would later say that some tribal leaders are “personally benefiting” from cartels.
Tribal leaders have also taken issue with comments delivered during town halls in Mitchell and Winner that suggested Native American children have no hope, and that their parents are not there for them.
Those comments in particular have been a sticking point for Estes, the Lower Brule tribal chairman. He said the tribe sent Noem a letter asking for an apology to children and parents.
“They were very hurtful, disparaging words,” Estes said. “We never heard a peep.”
Lower Brule voted down an earlier attempt to ban the governor. Estes said some leaders were hopeful that they’d hear an apology, but “a couple months have gone by now” without a response.
Estes said the leadership has also taken issue with the comments on tribal leadership and drug cartels. He said he’s never met anyone in a cartel “and I hope that I don’t.”
“It would be like tribes saying the South Dakota Legislature and executive branch of state government is in bed with the mafia,” Estes said. “These are blatant mistruths. Words are very powerful and hurtful. We have to be better than that.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jared Strong, Iowa Capital Dispatch) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced it will pay dairy farms with confirmed avian influenza infections to help contain the virus’ spread to people and more cows.
Federal funding is now available to cover the costs of enhanced biosecurity measures, protective equipment for workers, heat treatments for tainted milk, and veterinary and testing fees. The precautions are optional.
The virus was first identified in a Texas farm in March and has since been discovered in 41 others in a total of nine states, according to USDA data.
Wild birds are believed to be the initial source of infection, but there is evidence the virus is transmitting cow-to-cow. A dairy farm worker in Texas who was in close contact with infected cattle was also sickened but recovered.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza spreads quickly in poultry flocks and is often deadly to the birds. Sick cows typically recover over the course of 10 to 14 days, but they shed large amounts of the virus in their milk.
That led the USDA in April to prohibit the transport of most lactating dairy cattle across state lines unless testing shows they are not infected.
The movement of infected cows to other states is believed to be responsible for much of the virus’ spread. It has also been found in dairy farms in Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio and South Dakota.
The new federal funding provides:
Up to $2,000 per month per site for personal protective equipment and uniform laundering for workers.
Up to $8,000 per producer for heat treatment of milk from sick cows to inactivate the virus before disposal.
Up to $10,000 per site for veterinary fees and sample collection for testing.
Up to $1,500 per site to develop biosecurity plans and for training.
The USDA can also compensate dairy farms for their milk losses and states for their efforts to restrict movement of infected cattle locally.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food & Drug Administration are also increasing testing to better understand the virus and the public health risks it poses.
The CDC has said the risk is low to humans. The FDA has found fragments of the virus in the nation’s milk supply — despite a requirement to discard milk from sick cows — but the agency has determined that pasteurization neutralizes its threat.
