methamphetamine

South Dakota Chief Justice Steven Jensen gestures as he participates in oral arguments with other state Supreme Court justices on March 23, 2023, in Brookings. (David Bordewyk/South Dakota Newspaper Association)

Drug dealer asks Supreme Court to overturn conviction tied to former roommate’s testimony

BY: - August 31, 2023

A failure to inform jurors about a key witness’ immunity from prosecution unfairly tainted a drug dealer’s chance for a fair trial, his defense attorney told the South Dakota Supreme Court on Thursday in Pierre.  A jury found Todd W. Stevens, of Brookings, guilty of six drug-related counts at his trial one year ago. Stevens […]

Missing persons posters for Robert "Berta" Enoch, who died shortly after being arrested on April 3, 2023. (Submitted photos)

Family left with questions after man dies in custody of rural sheriff’s office

BY: - April 12, 2023

State investigators are reviewing the death of a man shortly after his arrest on April 3 by Charles Mix County sheriff’s deputies. Friends of 35-year-old Robert Dennis “Berta” Enoch have a host of questions about how someone who’d expressed a desire to get well and had secured a place at a treatment center just days […]

Supporters of Abbey Steele's family stand outside the Pennington County Jail on Dec. 6, 2022. (Courtesy photo)

State clears police and jail staff in young mother’s death, seeks info on meth dealer

BY: - February 7, 2023

Attorney General Marty Jackley wants the public’s help to find the source of the methamphetamine that may have killed Abbey Lynn Steele. The state Division of Criminal Investigation conducted an inquiry into Steele’s death at the request of the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, which runs the jail where Steele’s heart stopped on Nov. 16, and […]

An equal justice statue sits outside the doors of the Minnehaha County Courthouse in Sioux Falls. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Drug crimes, violent crimes drop for 2021 in South Dakota

BY: - December 30, 2022

Drug arrests have dropped 25% in South Dakota over the past five years. That’s one of the major takeaways from “Crime In South Dakota 2021,” the annual report from the state Attorney General’s Office that aims to compile arrest reports from all state law enforcement agencies. The 2021 report includes data from 101 agencies, representing […]