South Dakota
Man presented by Noem as alleged face of tribal cartel influence sentenced for Rapid City crime • South Dakota Searchlight
A man whose photograph was used by Gov. Kristi Noem as alleged proof of rampant drug cartel activity on tribal lands has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in Rapid City, but prosecutors said the case was not connected to cartels.
Charles Cain Merrival, 32, has spent most of the past four years in the Pennington County Jail in Rapid City, awaiting trial on federal drug conspiracy and firearms charges and a state-level robbery charge.
Native American man used by Noem as alleged proof of cartel presence takes plea deal in drug case
Merrival’s photo was shown to reporters at a spring news conference in Pierre, at which Gov. Kristi Noem doubled down on earlier comments about the prevalence and influence of Mexican drug cartels on South Dakota’s reservations.
His name was not shown in the photo, but Noem showed it and a handful of other photos showing men who appeared to be Native American, wearing leather biker jackets, as the governor referenced drug activity on reservations. Merrival’s face was the clearest of any of the men who appeared in the photos.
Merrival is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, but was living in Rapid City when the criminal activity occurred. When contacted at the Pennington County Jail, Merrival said he hadn’t been to the reservation for years and that the photo Noem used was snapped inside a shopping mall in Rapid City.
Shortly after the election of Donald Trump to a second presidential term last month, Noem was announced as Trump’s choice to direct the Department of Homeland Security. That position would put her in charge of the U.S. southern border, across which most of the illicit methamphetamine and fentanyl flow.
Noem’s comments on drug cartel influence – which contributed to votes by leadership in all nine South Dakota tribal governments to ban her from their lands – pointed the finger at drugs brought to the U.S. by people crossing the border illegally.
Merrival told Searchlight that Noem’s use of his image to make those points hindered his right to a fair trial by unfairly painting him with the broad brush of drug cartels – international crime syndicates to which Merrival insists he has no ties.
“Kristi Noem herself falsely labeled me a gang member that is affiliated with Mexican drug cartels and the commission of murders,” Merrival said in a phone interview last spring. “Because of Kristi Noem’s decision to personally intervene, any presumption of innocence that I had is gone forever.”
Merrival took a plea deal over the summer and admitted guilt for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in exchange for a cap of eight years in prison.
Man in photo Noem used as alleged proof of cartels says it’s hindered his right to a fair trial
A press release on his sentencing from U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell said Merrival was involved in the conspiracy from July of 2021 through January of 2022, the month he was arrested after officers watched him pass a backpack containing methamphetamine and weapons to a co-conspirator. A search of Merrival turned up additional ammunition, the release said.
“During the investigation, multiple sources confirmed Merrival’s history of violence and firearm possession. Merrival is prohibited from possessing firearms due to previous felony convictions,” the release said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office press release also noted that Merrival had served as sergeant-at-arms for the Ghost Dance Motorcycle Club, a support group for the Bandidos. Merrival told Searchlight over the summer that the Ghost Dance group ceased to exist as a club in mid-2021. Merrival was released from the Pennington County Jail around that time after spending more than a year there awaiting trial on state-level robbery charges. He also has pending state cases for drug possession and harassing phone calls, the latter of which came during his time in jail. He returned to the Pennington County Jail in early 2022 and remained there until his sentencing late last month.
Shortly after his sentencing hearing, Merrival sent a text to South Dakota Searchlight saying the subject of the governor’s cartel allegations came up at his sentencing. He did not respond to a follow-up text.
Ace Crawford, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, confirmed that the topic was broached at the sentencing and addressed by an assistant U.S. attorney (AUSA) in the courtroom.
“In response to a question by Judge Schreier, our AUSA did confirm in open court that Merrival’s case was not connected to Mexican drug cartels,” Crawford said via email.
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South Dakota
South Dakota ends 2026 fiscal year with $69 million surplus
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South Dakota
SD Lottery Millionaire for Life winning numbers for July 12, 2026
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 12, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 12 drawing
12-21-39-46-48, Bonus: 02
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.
South Dakota
Incarcerated women to move into new Rapid City prison to alleviate overcrowding
RAAPID CITY, S.D. — Incarcerated women will start moving into a new $87 million prison in Rapid City next month, a South Dakota Department of Corrections spokesperson confirmed this week.
The medium-security prison will be the state’s second for women. The South Dakota Women’s Prison in Pierre has operated beyond its capacity for years, with dozens of people serving their sentences at the Hughes County Jail or in halfway house facilities.
The new prison in Rapid City, which was approved by state lawmakers
in 2023
, will add 288 beds to the state’s capacity. The Department of Corrections will begin transferring women there next month, according to spokesperson Michael Winder, who said the exact date of full operations won’t be released for security reasons
The prison includes a work release area, a mother-infant building that lets new moms stay in a home-like environment with their babies, a vocational training facility to be staffed by instructors from Western Dakota Technical Institute and 96 beds for chemical dependency treatment.
The majority of the women held in South Dakota prisons are incarcerated on nonviolent drug charges, and 97% have a substance use disorder diagnosis.
“Drug addiction is a disease that must be treated,” Corrections Secretary Nick Lamb said at Friday’s ribbon cutting, adding that “Through dedicated treatment space and the therapeutic community, women will receive the counseling support and skills that they need to break the cycle of addiction and successfully return to their families and communities.”
The mother-infant program
mirrors one launched a few years ago in Pierre
.
Mothers who qualify under security guidelines stay in a group home separate from the main prison facility with other women and children for the first few years of their child’s life. The program was launched by former Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko and was championed by Lamb in his first public conversations with lawmakers on the state’s budget committee during the 2026 legislative session.
Photo courtesy Gov. Larry Rhoden’s office
At Friday’s event, Gov. Larry Rhoden said family connections and parenting skills are key factors in rehabilitation. He framed the program as an extension of a commitment to the well-being of South Dakota families.
“This program gives mothers and their children the opportunity to build that foundation from the very beginning,” Rhoden said.
Rhoden also called out the vocational training, drug treatment and work release programs as vital to rehabilitation — and to public safety by extension. The state recently broke ground on a new $650 million men’s prison in Sioux Falls, which is set to replace the state penitentiary and is also designed to expand programming and rehabilitation.
When combined with pending policy recommendations from the state’s correctional rehabilitation task force, Rhoden said, the new prisons will help improve public safety statewide by reducing the number of people who return to prison within a few years of their release.
“At the end of the day, every person in our corrections system is a human being,” Rhoden said. “They are sons and daughters. They are mothers and fathers. People who’ve made mistakes but also have the capacity to change.”
Winder, the corrections spokesman, told South Dakota Searchlight that staff will spend the next few weeks training at the new facility in preparation for the arrival of inmates in August.
The state hired Eric Aldridge
to serve as warden in March
. Aldridge, who came to South Dakota after a stint as warden of a medium-security women’s prison in Troy, Virginia, said Friday his goal is to “to facilitate an environment, an atmosphere, a culture where people learn, they grow, they heal, and where people develop through dignity and respect.”
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