South Dakota
North Dakota teen sentenced to life in prison after fatally shooting man at motel
A teenager in North Dakota was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison with the possibility of parole after a jury convicted him last year for the September 2022 shooting death of a man at a motel in Bismarck.
State District Court Judge James Hill said he couldn’t discount the jury’s verdict against Jesse Taylor Jr., who was 16 at the time of the fatal shooting of Maurice Thunder Shield, 28, of McLaughlin, South Dakota. The judge also took issue with Taylor’s attorney having characterized him as a child, according to The Bismarck Tribune.
“You were a child who used a 9 mm firearm to put five bullets into another human being,” the judge told Taylor. “The court heard the testimony in this case and quite frankly, it was overwhelming. You took the life of an innocent person in a senseless act of extreme brutal violence. Self-defense has been argued to me here, but it was nonexistent. There was no credible testimony that you were threatened, and that is what the jury found beyond a reasonable doubt.”
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Taylor declined to speak at his sentencing. He will be eligible to have his sentence reduced after serving 20 years because he was a juvenile when the crime occurred. He will also be eligible to be considered for parole after serving about 55 years.
The judge criticized Taylor’s self-defense argument, noting there was no credible testimony of a threat. (Fox News)
Taylor’s attorney said at trial that the teen acted in self-defense after a verbal altercation with Thunder Shield. The prosecutor said that argument had no legal basis, that Taylor could have escaped from Thunder Shield, and he intended to kill him by firing the handgun five times in several seconds, the newspaper previously reported.
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Taylor also was convicted of aggravated assault for allegedly wounding a motel worker in the shooting, and sentenced to five years in prison for that offense, to be served concurrently.
VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) — Cameron Fens scored 23 points as South Dakota beat Denver 82-72 on Saturday.
Fens also contributed 12 rebounds and four blocks for the Coyotes (9-9, 1-2 Summit League). Isaac Bruns scored 20 points while going 8 of 12 and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line and added six rebounds. Jordan Crawford went 5 of 11 from the field (3 for 7 from 3-point range) to finish with 13 points.
Gabe Oldham led the Pioneers (8-11, 1-3) in scoring, finishing with 24 points, 13 rebounds and two steals. Denver also got 19 points from Zane Nelson. Carson Johnson also put up 11 points and six assists.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The South Dakota Highway Patrol is continuing to look for the suspect in a deadly hit-and-run near Humboldt, SD.
In a Facebook post, the SD Highway Patrol has released new details regarding the semi suspected of committing the hit and run.
According to police, the semi is a red Freightliner Cascadia semi, missing its passenger-side headlight.
The semi was traveling eastbound from the Humboldt area on I-90 in the early morning hours of Jan. 3, 2026.
Police are seeking information, video, or pictures from 2:13 a.m. – 3:00 a.m. along I-90 and I-29 from the public.
If you have any tips or footage, contact the South Dakota Highway Patrol District 2 Office at (605) 367-5700.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
South Dakota
Dept. of Agriculture and Natural Resources announces $48 million for statewide projects
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) has the approval of over $48 million in loans and grants for statewide projects.
Together with the Board of Water and Natural Resources, a total of $36,958,000 in state loans, including $425,000 in principal forgiveness, was authorized for drinking water and wastewater improvements.
More funding was distributed to the following programs:
BDM Rural Water:
- Received an additional $233,450 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to construct a new water treatment plant, install a new water reservoir, install a pipe to expand the water system, and replace water meters
Clay Rural Water:
- Received $334,250 in ARPA grant funds to construct two ground storage reservoirs near the Greenfield reservoir and the Wakonda Water Treatment plant
Mid-Dakota Rural Water System:
- Received $917,357.85 in ARPA grant to update the existing water system
Mitchell:
- Received $3,930,000 in Clean Water State Revolving Funds to upgrade the clay sanitary and storm sewer
Rapid City:
- Received a $14,512,000 Drinking Water State Revolving loan to make improvements to an existing well and also construct two new wells
Shared Resources:
- Received $1,500,000 in ARPA grant funds for a treatment plant, well field, distribution pipeline, and two storage tanks
Sioux Falls:
- Received $7,648,000 to complete a third connection to the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System
- Received $17,746,000 to construct a new Southeast Basin sanitary force main
South Lincoln Rural Water System:
- Received $328,250 in ARPA funds to install an elevated water tank, new pump station, and new water treatment plant
South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources:
- Received $1 million in ARPA funds for its statewide Riparian Buffer Initiative
Toronto:
- Received $770,000 Drinking Water Revolving Loan to accommodate the Department of Transportation installing new storm sewers and highway surfacing
These programs are funded through a combination of federal appropriations, loan repayments, and bonds.
The board approved the funding during a January 8 meeting in Pierre.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
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