TEN INJURED IN PRISON VIOLENCE JUST DAYS AFTER PROTESTS OVER SECURITY AND INMATE TREATMENT
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (John Hult / South Dakota Searchlight) – A flurry of fighting broke out again Tuesday in the maximum security building on the campus of the South Dakota State Penitentiary, according to the Department of Corrections.
The violence comes less than a week after a protest over prison security and the treatment of inmates, and less than a month after the last publicly acknowledged sparring between inmates on the prison grounds in Sioux Falls.
The “series of fights” took place at the same time in “multiple sections” in the D block of Jameson Annex, DOC spokesman Michael Winder wrote in an email to South Dakota Searchlight.
No correctional staff were injured, Winder said. The state Division of Criminal investigation is leading the inquiry into the incident.
Shortly after the release of information from the DOC, Attorney General Marty Jackley said in a news release that 10 inmates were injured as a result of the violence, which began around 1 p.m. Five were stabbed, and three of them were treated at local hospitals. Two others were treated in the prison. The other injured inmates were attacked with blunt objects, fists and feet.
“Evidence suggests that the assaults are gang related and they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” said Jackley.
The Jameson Annex, built in the mid-1990s, is the area that houses the inmates dubbed most dangerous during initial intake. Jameson is also home to that initial intake area, as well as to inmates with severe mental illness and those being held for disciplinary infractions.
Some members of the state’s Project Prison Reset task force, as well as some lawmakers who aren’t on that prison construction work group, have pushed to build an additional floor onto Jameson to provide partial relief to overcrowding across the prison system.
Jackley, a work group member, mentioned a possible Jameson expansion in a television interview Tuesday.
Winder, of the DOC, sent a statement from Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko about Tuesday’s Jameson violence. She praised “the staff’s immediate, appropriate and professional response,” which she said “brought quick order to ending the fighting.”
“Our staff did recover homemade weapons that were utilized in the fights,” Wasko wrote.
The DOC Office of Inspector General is assisting with the investigation.
A similar fight broke out in Jameson a few days before the first meeting of the Project Prison Reset work group, which aims to resolve the yearslong debate over new prison construction in South Dakota.
Protests over prison conditions
As the work group pores over facility plans and consultant reports – its next meeting is set to commence Tuesday in Pierre – family members and advocates for inmates have grown increasingly frustrated with the DOC’s response to violence across the system.
On May 4, fighting broke out in East Hall, which is part of the penitentiary complex that opened in 1881. The prison work group voted earlier this month to replace that portion of the Sioux Falls campus, although the size, cost and location of the replacement are still up for debate.
About 50 people gathered outside East Hall on Friday to protest prison conditions, including Marlene Woodraska. She told South Dakota Searchlight in earlier interviews that her son R.J. committed suicide at Jameson in October, after she alleged the DOC had failed to protect him from prison gang threats.
On Friday, Woodraska told the assembled crowd about her son’s suicide but stopped abruptly, saying she wouldn’t be able to continue without crying. She and R.J.’s sister-in-law held a sign bearing R.J.’s likeness throughout the protest.
Donna German, meanwhile, said her son was injured in another recent round of prison violence.
“He is currently healing from 22 stab wounds,” German told the crowd before accusing the DOC of giving her son “Band-Aids and two little packets of bacitracin” in lieu of more serious medical care.
Protesters also spoke of overdoses, demanding that the state investigate them and address the issue of drug use inside the prison.
Last week, Jackley’s office confirmed that two deaths days apart at the prison this month – one in Jameson, one in the penitentiary – were being investigated as overdoses.
Another inmate, 20-year-old Anthony Richards, died of an overdose in early February at the Jameson Annex in Sioux Falls.
The state certificate that lists his cause of death was filed nine days ago. An autopsy concluded that he’d died from the “self-administration of drug synthetic cannabinoid 5F-ADB,” which is one formulation of a drug commonly referred to by inmates as “K2.”
Richards’ sister and grandmother told South Dakota Searchlight that as of Saturday afternoon, the state hadn’t called to inform them of the cause of death. On Wednesday, his sister said the family has yet to hear from anyone with the state about the cause of death, or about any investigation into the overdose.
Tracii Barse, organizer of Friday’s protest, told the crowd that the state needs to get its house in order before it commits to building upwards of $2 billion in prison facilities. That’s how much a recent consultant’s report suggested the state would need to spend on new prisons to deal with current overcrowding and future inmate population growth.
During the protest, Barse balked at the focus on new facilities in the face of what he called the state’s current failures.
“You guys can’t even run this one,” Barse said, pointing to East Hall.
SOUTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR’S ECONOMIC ADVISERS BEMOAN TRUMP’S TARIFF POLICY
PIERRE, S.D. (Joshua Haiar / South Dakota Searchlight) – Members of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors raised alarms during a virtual roundtable Tuesday about volatile Trump administration tariff policies, saying they’re driving up costs, stalling housing developments, and threatening key sectors of South Dakota’s economy.
“It’s a really regressive tax,” council member John Hemmingstad, of Avalon Capital Group, said of tariffs.
Hemmingstad said his team has paused multi-family housing investments due to the price uncertainty of building materials. He added that South Dakota, which relies heavily on sales taxes, could be especially vulnerable if higher tariffs cause inflation that dampens consumer spending.
Retailers are also feeling the strain. Kevin Nyberg, owner of Ace Hardware stores in Sioux Falls and Watertown, said suppliers are warning of price increases on up to 50% of inventory. He compared it to the economic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is the psyche of a retailer right now,” Nyberg said. “You scramble before the price increases go into effect.”
U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, made a separate visit later Tuesday to Maguire, a water tower manufacturer and maintainer in Sioux Falls.
“When we hear from businesses locally, and we have, we’re obviously doing what we can to intervene with the administration,” Thune said. “On a broader level, the tariffs are, I think, designed to sort of rebalance trade, create more reciprocity with other countries who, in many cases, have been taking advantage of us.”
Last year, before Trump took office, Thune said an across-the-board tariff strategy would be “a recipe for increased inflation.”
At the Council of Economic Advisors meeting, South Dakota State University economics professor Evert Van der Sluis called the Trump administration’s approach a “deliberate policy to dismantle some of the pillars of American prosperity,” citing cuts to education, immigration and research as compounding the harm. He said economic modeling does not support the idea that tariffs will offset federal revenue losses or reinvigorate U.S. manufacturing.
Van der Sluis and others also expressed concern for South Dakota’s export-dependent agricultural sector, which remains vulnerable to international tariff retaliation.
“Agriculture is very much dependent on exports,” he said.
During Trump’s prior four years in office, the U.S. Department of Agriculture paid out billions of dollars to support farmers suffering from retaliatory tariffs. Thune said discussions are underway among Congress, the USDA and the White House about how to shield farmers from tariff fallout.
“I think you want to try and ensure that nobody gets harmed,” Thune said. “And agriculture oftentimes is the place where a lot of countries retaliate first.”
Hemmingstad said bailing out ag producers alone would be a tough sell politically.
“This time it’s not just ag. Every industry is going to be impacted,” he said. “Is ag really going to get one and no one else does?”
While farmers received significant aid during the last tariff standoff, Van der Sluis noted, “those bailouts, they come from federal revenue,” and so “it adds to the fiscal irresponsibility.”
NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE PASSES THE ‘STAND WITH WOMEN ACT’ AFTER HEATED DEBATE
LINCOLN, NE (KOLN) – Over the last few years, Nebraska’s legislature has faced at least one socially charged issue each session. This year, the focus was on trans athletes and sports.
That battle ended Wednesday night, with supporters, including Governor Pillen, calling it a victory, while opponents warn it could push people out of the state.
The debate was brief, lasting less than an hour, but emotions ran high both on the floor and among those watching from the balcony.
The ‘Stand With Women Act’ passed 33-16, defining “male” and “female” in Nebraska law and requiring students to participate in sports based on their biological sex assigned at birth.
“This isn’t about exclusion, it’s about ensuring our daughters, sisters, and friends have a level playing field,” said Sen. Loren Lippincott. “LB89 recognizes a simple scientific truth: biological males and females are different.”
The act faced opposition from senators like Megan Hunt, who attempted to send the bill back to committee, calling it political theater.
“It signals that we prioritize political theater over governance and misuse Title IX, which was meant to expand opportunity, as a tool of exclusion,” stated Sen. Megan Hunt.
Outside the chamber, Nebraska trans kids spoke out.
“I am leaving the state,” said Andrew Hipsher, a Nebraska resident. “I’m moving to Minnesota because I don’t have access to hormones or the rights I deserve here.”
Despite opposition, the bill narrowly secured the 33 votes needed to pass, a result OutNebraska, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, had anticipated but still found disappointing.
“This is not the future we want for trans Nebraskans,” said Abbi Swatsworth with OutNebraska. “Our community has always existed and will continue to exist. This legislation does not define us.”
Reaction has also poured in from advocacy groups and political leaders.
Mindy Rush Chipman, Executive Director of the ACLU of Nebraska, condemned the bill, saying that every young person deserves the freedom to be themselves at school.
“This ban sends a crushing message to young trans Nebraskans and slams the door shut for some kids to fully participate in their school communities. And for what? This ban will only create problems, not solve any. We encourage Nebraskans to thank the state senators who opposed LB 89. Likewise, we all should be voicing concerns to the governor and the senators who supported this discriminatory ban. Nebraska is for all of us. The constant targeting of LGBTQ+ Nebraskans must stop.”
In contrast, Elizabeth Nunnally, Advocacy & Engagement Coordinator for Nebraska Family Alliance, praised the bill
“Participation in sports provides girls in Nebraska with invaluable opportunities, friendships, and character development. LB 89 ensures that those opportunities and experiences are not taken away by men. We are grateful that our state senators have chosen this common-sense approach to protect the safety of women and girls in Nebraska.”
Building on that point, NFA Executive Director Nate Grasz emphasized the broader impact.
“Across the country, girls have lost scholarships, missed championship titles, and suffered serious injuries because they were forced to compete against men. This is unfair and dangerous, and we applaud our senators for stepping up to preserve fairness and opportunities for women and girls in Nebraska.”
Governor Pillen, a longtime champion of the bill, echoed those sentiments.
“This legislation achieves a key goal — protecting girls and women’s sports. It’s just common sense that girls shouldn’t have to compete against biological boys. This legislative win will lead to many more victories for Nebraska’s female athletes, as we ensure a level and fair playing field for all girls who compete. I look forward to signing it into law.”
The bill now heads to Governor Pillen’s desk, making Nebraska one of more than two dozen states with similar laws in place.
MAN ACCUSED OF FATALLY SHOOTING STEPFATHER OUTSIDE WALMART IN COLUMBUS
COLUMBUS, NE (KSNB) – A man accused of shooting and killing his stepfather outside of the Walmart in Columbus on Tuesday was arrested.
Officers were called to Walmart near east 6th Avenue and Highway 30 at 6:20 p.m. for a reported shooting in the Walmart parking lot.
Arriving officers found Anhil David Mirabal Hernandez, 42, of Columbus, on the ground with a gunshot wound to the chest. They rendered aid until Columbus Fire Department arrived on scene.
Hernandez was taken to Columbus Community Hospital, where he later died.
Shortly after the shooting, police said the suspect, Manuel Alejandro Mesa Cabrera, 25, turned himself in to the Columbus Police Department.
Cabrera was arrested and booked into the Platte County Detention Facility on suspicion of first-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Columbus Police Department at 402-564-3201.
