South Dakota
11 South Dakota State Penitentiary inmates charged for March disturbances
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KFGO) – South Dakota’s attorney general says 11 South Dakota State Penitentiary inmates have been charged for their parts in disturbances at the Sioux Falls prison late last month.
Marty Jackley says the inmates face charges including aggravated assault, simple assault, damage to prison property, and starting fires within a prison.
“These were dangerous acts that injured two state correctional officers and caused significant damage to prison property,” Jackley says. “Inmates found responsible will be held accountable for their actions.”
Two correctional officers were hurt and the prison sustained significant damage in the two days of disturbances.
The 11 inmates and their charges are:
- Joshua David Vortherms, 45, two counts of Aggravated Assault Against a Department of Corrections employee; and two counts of Simple Assault Against a Department of Corrections employee.
- Lee David Bernard, 32, one count of Intentional Damage to Property.
- Taylor Dallas Cook, 22, one count of Intentional Damage to Property.
- Markos James Fernandez, 19, one count of Intentional Damage to Property.
- John Welsey Lovejoy, 25, one count of Intentional Damage to Property.
- Connor David Shockey, 20, one count of Intentional Damage to Property.
- Michael Chaske White, 50, one count of Intentional Damage to Property.
- James Ewing, 41, one count of Reckless Burning, and one count of Burning Within a Structure Where a Person is Lawfully Confined.
- Curtis Carpenter, 39, one count of Reckless Burning, and one count of Burning Within a Structure Where a Person is Lawfully Confined.
- Michael Hewitt, 41, one count of Reckless Burning, and one count of Burning Within a Structure Where a Person is Lawfully Confined.
- Mahlon Kirkie, 35, one count of Reckless Burning, and one count of Burning Within a Structure Where a Person is Lawfully Confined.
Oklahoma didn’t suffer any strong wind damage this week, but wind farms in South Dakota certainly did.
Several wind turbines were toppled by the 130 MPH winds that hit the central part of the state Monday morning. They were described as straight line winds and not tornadoes. But the winds compared to those recorded in some tornadoes.
The 131-mph wind was recorded at Holabird in Hyde County at 6:15 a.m. local time.
A picture of the extensive damage showed at least 7 of the wind towers were bent over by the powerful Mother Nature.
According to a report by Energy News Beat, storm chaser Jakob McMillin documented the scene in a widely shared post on X (formerly Twitter), showing multiple wind turbine towers collapsed or heavily damaged, with blades and structural debris scattered across the prairie. In replies to his post, McMillin stated he observed “over 20” turbines destroyed or critically damaged.
The Affected Wind Farm
The damaged facility is the South Dakota Wind Energy Center (also known as the Highmore Wind Energy Project or Highmore Wind Farm), located approximately 10 miles south of Highmore.
- Number of turbines: 27
- Turbine model: GE Vernova 1.5s (1.5 MW each)
- Total nameplate capacity: 40.5 MW
- Commissioning year: 2003 (South Dakota’s first major wind farm)
- Owner/Operator: NextEra Energy Resources (formerly FPL Energy)
- Power purchaser: Basin Electric Power Cooperative
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 29, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 29 drawing
10-14-41-53-59, Powerball: 03, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from June 29 drawing
08-13-29-30-31, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 03
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 29 drawing
04-25-26-31-36, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Deliberately slowed rush-hour traffic in downtown Sioux Falls is serving as a preview for commuters ahead of a major, yearslong overhaul of the city’s aging viaduct overpasses.
And Downtown Sioux Falls Inc. is using the opportunity to study traffic patterns in advance of the reconstruction of the 10th and 11th street overpasses on the east end of the core commercial district. Though the state-led project is still years away, the temporary traffic-calming measures are helping engineers gather data on vehicle speeds, volumes and behaviors.
2026 general election ballot set after referral effort falls short
-
San Diego, CA56 seconds agoMarine missing after training activity off San Diego is declared dead
-
Milwaukee, WI6 minutes agoCareer minor-leaguer Garrett Stallings gets his shot with the Brewers
-
Atlanta, GA13 minutes agoFIFA Fan Festival Atlanta bracing for huge crowds, high heat
-
Minneapolis, MN16 minutes agoNorth Minneapolis Heritage Park tenants swelter as $500K grant sits locked for furnaces
-
Indianapolis, IN21 minutes agoTips to keep your pets’ tail wagging during the Indiana heatwave
-
Pittsburg, PA28 minutes agoFerris wheel to support veterans spinning Wednesday through Sunday on Pittsburgh’s North Shore
-
Augusta, GA31 minutes agoCommunity center, Helene and parking get Augusta leaders’ attention
-
Washington, D.C36 minutes agoDC releases draft plans for community surrounding new Commanders stadium
