YANKTON, SD – One person has been arrested and the Yankton Police Department continues to investigate a shooting that occurred in the early hours of September 24th, 2023.
At approximately 6 am on Sunday morning officers were called to Sacred Heart Emergency Room for a male who had arrived with a gunshot wound. That individual later died as a result of his injuries.
Authorities identified a possible location for the incident and officers responded to the 1900 block of Locust where they secured a residence and initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. Preliminary information suggest that a handgun was involved in the incident, but further details are being examined as part of the ongoing investigation.
20 year old Cody James Auch was arrested and charged with First Degree Manslaughter a violation of SDCL 22-16-5 and Reckless discharge of a firearm/possession of a loaded firearm while intoxicate a violation of SDCL 22-14-7. This incident is being investigated by the Yankton Police Department with assistance from the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Yankton County Sheriffs Office.
PIERRE, SD – The South Dakota Department of Public Safety has announced plans for 22 sobriety checkpoints in 18 different counties during the month of October.
Checkpoints are scheduled for the counties of: Charles Mix, Lincoln, Brookings, Pennington, Butte, Brown, Codington, Hughes, Minnehaha, Roberts, Spink, Lawrence, Meade, Jones, Fall River, Stanley, Davison, and Jerauld.
The monthly checkpoints are designed to encourage people to not drink and drive. The checkpoints are funded by the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety and conducted by the South Dakota Highway Patrol with the help of local law enforcement.
Officials remind drivers not to drink and drive regardless of whether there is a checkpoint planned in their county. People who have been drinking are urged to designate a sober driver or take an alternate form of commercial or public transportation.
Both the Office of Highway Safety and the Highway Patrol are agencies of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.
INTERIOR, SD – One person died Thursday evening in a single motorcycle crash 1 mile east of Interior, S.D.
The name of the person involved has not been released pending notification of family members.
Preliminary crash information indicates a 2006 Suzuki motorcycle was traveling eastbound on S.D. Highway 44 near mile marker 122. The Suzuki failed to navigate a curve and left the roadway and struck a fence. The driver was separated from the motorcycle and sustained fatal injuries.
The 62-year-old male driver was pronounced deceased on the scene.
He was wearing a helmet.
South Dakota’s Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. All information released so far is only preliminary.
SIOUX CITY, IA – Sioux City police say the victim of a shooting that occurred Thursday morning has died and a suspect has been arrested.
Authorities were called to the area of West 19th and Center Street around 5:15 Thursday morning where they discovered a male with a single gunshot wound.
The victim, Michael Lee Schwebach, age 34 of Sioux City, was transported to Mercy One for treatment, but he ultimately died as a result of his injuries.
Police say the shooting appeared to be a targeted incident, and further investigation led to an arrest warrant for 1st Degree Murder being issued for 21-year-old Mario Alberto Corona Ruiz of Sioux City.
Police located Ruiz in South Sioux City Friday afternoon and he was taken into custody with the assistance of the ATF, the US Marshals, and the South Sioux City Police without incident.
ALGONA, IA – A judge has set a cash bond of two million dollars for the man accused of killing an Algona police officer earlier this month.
43-year-old Kyle Lou Rickie of Algona is accused of fatally shooting officer Kevin Cram on Wednesday, September 13 as Cram was attempting to serve a warrant for Rickie’s arrest.
Rickie made his initial appearance in Kossuth County District Court this past Thursday afternoon where Judge Mark Laddusaw announced that he has seen enough evidence to the charge of First-Degree Murder to proceed. Laddusaw also explained to Rickie that a guilty verdict would result in a sentence of life in prison.
An attorney from the Iowa Attorney General’s office argued for a cash-only bond in the amount of five million dollars, but Judge Laddusaw settled on a cash bond in the amount of two million dollars with the stipulation that the full amount must be paid in cash before Rickie can be released.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday, September 29 at 1:00 pm in Kossuth County District Court. Rickie is currently being held in the Kossuth County Jail in Algona.
SIOUX FALLS, SD – 18-year-old Patrick Morris of Sioux Falls, has been apprehended by the police after being linked to a string of 13 burglaries.
The arrest followed the issuance of three arrest warrants, all tied to burglary and grand theft incidents that occurred over several months.
Morris is accused of unlawfully entering homes to pilfer mail, packages, phones, and various items. While many of the homes were left unlocked, some were forcefully entered.
Though most burglaries took place when homes were unoccupied, there were instances where occupants were present.
Morris now faces a range of charges, including burglary, grand theft, and intentional damage to property.
RAPID CITY, SD – The trial of Richard Hirth, accused in the murder of Jessica Rehfeld in the Black Hills in 2015, has been abruptly canceled.
This decision came after it was revealed that the defense’s expert witness, Dr. William Stratford, had entered a civil settlement agreement with the federal government following an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), which alleged violations of the Controlled Substances Act.
Hirth’s attorney had requested that the judge prevent questions about the DEA’s investigation or settlement, but the request was denied.
Dr. Stratford subsequently indicated his refusal to testify.
In light of these developments, Seventh Circuit Court Judge Heidi Linngren deemed Stratford an unreliable witness, compromising Hirth’s right to a fair trial and leading to the trial’s cancellation.
The Pennington County State’s Attorney’s office expressed its commitment to ensuring justice is ultimately served in the case.
Prosecutors maintain that Hirth was hired by Jonathan Klinetobe to carry out Rehfeld’s murder, with Klinetobe being Rehfeld’s former partner. Klinetobe and several other suspects in the case have already been tried and convicted.
