South Dakota
11 charged in last month’s unrest at South Dakota State Penitentiary
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has announced 11 inmates are facing 18 counts total after unrest at the state penitentiary last March.
Six are facing one count of Intentional Damage to Property, and four are facing one count each of Reckless Burning and Burning Within a Structure Where a Person is Lawfully Confined.
The eleventh individual, Joshua Vortherms, is facing two counts of Aggravated Assault Against a Department of Corrections employee, and two counts of Simple Assault Against a Department of Corrections employee. The aggravated assault charges carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
Jackley said while last month’s actions by inmates here at the state penitentiary were wrong and against the law, the effort wasn’t coordinated. He said the assault on correctional officers wasn’t connected to any of the fires and damage to prison property, and court documents do list the loss of tablet access for messaging and calls as an issue surrounding the assault.
The unrest doesn’t stem from a lack of staffing, as Jackley said it was all confined to one area.
“At least the assault side of it, I don’t believe that staffing would’ve had any affect on what happened,” Jackley said.
Jackley said while it’s only his role to investigate what happened at the state penitentiary and make charges where needed, the documents do point to the issue over the tablets as a potential catalyst for unrest. But he said regardless, the assault, fires and damage shouldn’t have happened.
“The tablet issue, I think instigated or began the disagreement between the guard and the inmate. That guard had nothing to do with whether or not there would be tablets or not,” Jackley said. “I think the inmate’s frustration is what was, at least his reasoning for why he took certain action, which is unacceptable under the law and as my position as Attorney General, we’re addressing it with these felony charges.”
Jackley said he’s avoided using the word “riot” to explain what happened last month. He said even though fires were lit and inmates were trying to smash a gate, it was confined to one area and correctional officers never let it spread outside of that.
“When you look at the property damage on the gates, with them trying to throw the locker through, the inmates never took over control. The fires were from cell to cell, thrown on a wheelchair. So because there was never control lost, I’ve used the word disturbance.”
Jackley said it was his decision to list all 11 inmates in the complaint, and try them all in the same trial. He said this is because while the effort behind the unrest wasn’t connected, it still all stemmed from the same time.
“At this time, there will be one trial, 11 individuals, and 18 counts,” Jackley said.
Copyright 2024 KSFY. All rights reserved.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Students at South Dakota Mines heard Wednesday from retired four-star general Maryanne Miller about her journey to the highest ranks of the U.S. military.
Miller is a retired four-star U.S. Air Force general. She is the only member of the Air Force Reserve ever to be promoted to this level.
She spoke about finding greatness and living a life of fulfillment. Her stories came from her time in the Air Force and as a volunteer for Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity.
“We so much get focused on what is our next step in life, what’s the next career move, how do we make ourselves better in our career, and we forget about how do we make ourselves better as a human being,” Miller said. “Because they have to go tandem. If it’s not tandem, you’re going to get off track.”
Miller was commissioned in 1981 and rose through the ranks before becoming a four-star general in 2018. She was the only woman serving as a four-star officer in the military at the time. She retired in 2020 after serving for almost 40 years.
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South Dakota
USDA to offer distaster assistance to South Dakota agriculture producers impacted by winter storms
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering financial and technical assistance to South Dakota farmers and livestock producers who may have been impacted by the recent winter storms.
“I encourage impacted producers to contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.” said Richard Fordyce, Production and Conservation Under Secretary.
FSA’s Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program can assist landowners with financial assistance to restore damaged land and conservation structures or forests.
“Our staff will work one-on-one with landowners to make assessments of the damages and develop methods that focus on effective recovery of the land.” said Jessica Michalski, Acting NRCS State Conservationist in South Dakota.
For more information about the disaster assistance program, click here.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, left, and Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen unveil a plaque for retired U.S. Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams in the Hall of Honor at the Capitol in Pierre on March 25, 2026. (Photo by Meghan O’Brien/South Dakota Searchlight)
PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) — There’s a new name in the South Dakota Hall of Honor at the state Capitol building.
One-hundred-year-old South Dakota native and retired U.S. Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams was celebrated at a Wednesday ceremony where a plaque honoring him was unveiled, although Williams did not attend.
“In spite of being outnumbered and facing incredible danger, Captain Williams engaged the enemy with courage and skill,” said Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden. “Our state has always had a strong tradition of service, and Captain Williams is the very best of that tradition.”
President Donald Trump awarded Williams the Medal of Honor, the country’s highest military honor, at the State of the Union address earlier this year. The medal honors actions by Williams that had been classified for decades.
“His story was secret for over 50 years, he didn’t even want to tell his wife, but the legend grew and grew,” Trump said during the speech in February. “But tonight, at 100 years old, this brave Navy captain is finally getting the recognition he deserves.”
On Nov. 18, 1952, over Korean coastal waters during the Korean War, then-Lt. Williams, from Wilmot, South Dakota, led three F9F Panthers against seven Soviet MiG-15s. He disabled three enemy jets and damaged a fourth.
The Soviet jets, according to the U.S. Naval Institute, were “superior to the F9F in almost every fashion.” The mission was the only direct overwater combat between U.S. Navy fighters and Soviet fighters during the Cold War.
Williams, one of 11 Medal of Honor recipients from South Dakota, now lives in California. The Hall of Honor at the South Dakota Capitol is located in the hallway that visitors enter immediately after going through security.
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