Mark Vargo
Justice coalition aims to force change after death of Native American mother
A group of Native American activists and their supporters have refined their demands for Pennington County officials following the death of a young woman who’d been arrested in Rapid City, and they plan to meet weekly all winter long to push for their demands to be met. Tuesday will mark four weeks of group meetings, […]
Native American outreach marks Attorney General Vargo’s short term in office
Attorney General Mark Vargo stepped away from his post on Friday with a six-month legacy he hopes will serve as a building block to stronger relations between law enforcement and South Dakota’s nine tribal nations. Vargo was appointed by Gov. Kristi Noem following the impeachment and removal of former Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, who hit […]
Attorney general makes new hires to address human trafficking, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons
Attorney General Mark Vargo announced two new hires Wednesday to address human trafficking and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. Allison Morrisette is the state’s inaugural Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons coordinator. Morrisette is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe who last served as adult diversion coordinator for the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s […]
The key words and missing definition in the Noem airplane controversy
When authorities announced the conclusion of a recent investigation into Gov. Kristi Noem’s use of a state airplane, their news release included a potentially key phrase. The news release said, in part, “there were no facts to support a criminal prosecution under current law.” Those last three words – “under current law” – leave some […]
No charges against Noem in airplane investigation
Hughes County State’s Attorney Jessica LaMie announced Tuesday that no charges will be filed in the investigation into Gov. Kristi Noem’s alleged misuse of a state airplane. LaMie said in a news release that the state Division of Criminal Investigation had ended its inquiry, which included examining whether the plane’s flight records had been tampered […]
Q&A: Consider primaries for attorney general nominees, Vargo says
Attorney General Mark Vargo said the state should consider a new method of choosing political nominees for the office he holds. “I will say that I do think it would be smart to consider whether or not that nomination process should be through a convention or through a primary,” Vargo said. Currently, delegates at political […]