Featured SD News Stories:
Patrols Take More Than 200 Drunk Drivers Off SD Roads
05 Sep 2006 12:00 am
In the last three weeks, the South Dakota Highway Patrol removed 209 drunk drivers from South Dakota roads. Between August 18th and Sept. 4th, the patrol held nearly 45 sobriety checkpoints and at least 30 saturation patrols as part of the nationwide "Over the Limit, Under Arrest" campaign.
"What's important here is that by removing the drunk drivers from the roads, we got them home safely. It also means we took more than 200 threats off the road, making it safer for everyone else who was traveling," said Major James Carpenter, South Dakota Highway Patrol.
Although the nationwide crackdown is officially over, the South Dakota Highway Patrol will continue to hold sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols on a regular basis.
During a normal three-week period, the Highway Patrol issues between 160 and 180 DUIs.
Fighting Cyber Crime
Jodi Schwan
10 Aug 2006 12:00 am
About one in three teenagers say their parents know little or nothing about what they do on the Internet.
And if not careful, the online activity can lead to real life danger.
South Dakota's Internet Crimes Against Children unit knows that all too well.
For now, the unit is too busy reacting to problems with predators to do much about preventing them, something they're hoping to change.
Light says, "We're in the process of getting people together to do online stuff and be proactive."
That involves opening adults' eyes to what the Internet makes available.
The state has set up a website for people to access a variety of online safety resources. To see it, click here.
Man sentenced for sex crimes
25 Jul 2006 12:00 am
A 33-year-old rural Pierre man was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to rape and sexual contact.
Leo Jackson was given the maximum sentence of 15 years each for one count of third-degree rape and one count of sexual contact with a person under 16.
In court, Jackson apologized to the victim and her family. “I know what I did was wrong. There was no excuse,” he said.
Sex crimes suspect waives 180-day right
25 Jul 2006 12:00 am
A Rapid City man charged with 10 counts of sex crimes against children waived his right to have a trial within 180 days to allow his attorney more time to interview witnesses.
He was indicted in June by a Pennington County grand jury on five counts of criminal pedophilia.
Criminal pedophilia is defined as sexual penetration with a child younger than 13 if the perpetrator is older than 26.
For each of the five counts of criminal pedophilia, Onken is also charged with an alternate count of having sexual contact with someone younger than 16 and being at least three years older.
An alternate count means he cannot be convicted of both crimes.
Site does not list sex-offender threat
25 Jul 2006 12:00 am
South Dakotans can check the state's new Internet registry of sex offenders for a list of all transgressors. What they won't find is any information about each criminal's threat level.
Unlike other states, South Dakota does not determine whether a sex offender is a serious threat or someone with a 30-year-long clean slate.
"We have no classification system here," said Sioux Falls Police Detective Arden Goering, who maintains the city's sex-offender registration program. "I've got one guy on my list whose conviction dates to 1949, and he gets treated the same as three-time offenders."
We Must Keep Kids Safe Online
In South Dakota, we teach our children to be polite and friendly. But we are also cautious and tell them not to talk to strangers. However, when our kids go online, they could be talking to strangers in online chat rooms, blogs, and instant messenger services. You may not know what these are, but your kids do and may be online using them everyday.
Rape and What We Can Do About It
Rape is the proverbial “elephant in the room” when it comes to gender relations in the United States–the public doesn’t know how to handle it, and neither do victims.
