CONDE, S.D. – A 77-year-old man died Tuesday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash that occurred about nine miles south west of Conde, SD.

At this point in time no names of persons involved have been released pending notification of family members.

The preliminary crash report shows that the 77 year-old man was driving a 2021 CanAm Defender UTV.  He turned in front of a westbound Peterbilt truck on SD Highway 20. The truck was unable to stop and struck the UTV, forcing it into the ditch where it rolled. The driver of the UTV died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident.

The crash remains under investigation at this time by the South Dakota Highway Patrol and all information released so far is only preliminary.

 

ABERDEEN, S.D. – An Aberdeen man has been sentenced to a combined 115 years in prison after earlier pleading guilty to one count of Sexual Contact with a Child under the Age of Sixteen and 10 counts of Possession of Child Pornography.

According to the South Dakota Attorney General’s office, 41-year old Kenneth Vance was sentenced Tuesday in Brown County Circuit Court. The Sexual Contact charge carried a maximum sentence of 15 years. Each count of the Possession charge carried a maximum sentence of 10 years. Those sentences will be served consecutively.

The crimes occurred in Aberdeen. The Sexual Contact with a Child under the Age of Sixteen charge occurred in 2018. The Possession of Child Pornography charges occurred between 2021 and 2023.

The investigation of this case was performed under the combined efforts of the Aberdeen Police Department, Brown County Sheriff’s Office, and South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).

Prosecution was handled by the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office, and Brown County State’s Attorney’s Office.

 

DES MOINES, IA – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation Wednesday for four counties in the state following the severe storms that rolled through Monday, May 6.

The four counties listed are Clarke, Marion, Pottawattamie, and O’Brien.

The proclamation activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program which provides households with incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty level $5,000 of grant money. These grants can be used for home or car repairs, replacing clothing or food, and temporary housing expenses. However, original receipts are needed for those looking to be reimbursed for storm recovery efforts. Claims are accepted until Saturday, June 22nd, 2024.

The proclamation also activates the Disaster Advocacy Program which helps with injury, disaster-related hardships, and adverse conditions. This allows those affected by the disaster to be paired with a disaster case advocate who can help come up with a recovery plan and offer guidance and referrals for services and resources. There are no eligibility requirements for this program. The program closes on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024.

 

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – South Dakota Democratic Chair Shane Merrill and Vice Chair Jessica Meyers are calling for the removal of Governor Kristi Noem’s Chief of Communications, Ian Fury, due to what they call “an utter failure in doing the basics of a public relations job.”

The leaders of the state Democratic party wrote that, quote, “South Dakota taxpayers should not be on the hook paying Ian Fury more than $144,000 a year salary to destroy the reputation of our state and negate the millions of dollars spent to advertise South Dakota across the country.” End quote

Governor Noem has received criticism recently due to content in her new book, where she gives the details of killing a 14-month-old dog for “unruly” behavior and attempting to bite her. Noem has publicly defended her decision to kill the dog.

She then came under fire again after The Dakota Scout revealed that in her book, Noem claims she met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, but that meeting could not be verified. Noem has since refused to answer national media on whether that meeting actually did happen.

Fury has said that the story of the meeting was an error and will be fixed in all future editions, but Merrill and Meyers blamed Fury for not catching these inaccuracies.

Again quoting Merrill and Meyers, “At a time when Gov. Noem once again lacks a chief of staff, action must be made to hold individuals accountable for what can only be described as an utter failure in doing the basics of a public relations job. Fury should not have allowed the publication of the Governor’s recent book without proper fact-checking and review.” End quote

Noem has also faced backlash from five Native American tribes in her own state who have banned her from their reservations after comments she made alluding that tribal leaders were helping drug cartels function in their reservations.

Our thanks to Dakota News Now for their assistance with this story.

 

PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty Jackley is warning South Dakotans again to be watchful for various scams after a Sioux Falls woman lost a reported $58,000 in a computer scam.

Sioux Falls Police are investigating the case of the 68-year-old woman who received a computer pop-up identifying itself as Apple Security. The woman was eventually forced to withdraw money from her account after being convinced by the scammer that she had to avoid being prosecuted for money laundering.

“This is a classic type of scam that preys on the elderly,” said Attorney General Jackley. “The scammer confuses the person, threatens legal action, and promises the money will be returned to them. All of it is a lie.”

Attorney General Jackley offers these tips to people who receive such calls or emails:

• Obtain as much information about the scammer – name, phone number, time they called, what they said.
• Do not provide personal or financial information via the telephone or internet.
• Never give or download remote access to your computer.
• Don’t answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize.
• If you are concerned with your computer’s security, go to a reputable retailer or repair shop locally.
• Keep family members aware of what you are doing.

People who receive such calls are encouraged to contact local law enforcement, the Division of Consumer Protection at consumerhelp@state.sd.us or call 1-800-300-1986 or 605-773-4400.

The Division of Consumer Protection is part of the Attorney General’s Office.