South Dakota

Vandals Break Into South Dakota BLM Area, Drive Heavy Equipment Into Ditch

Published

10 months ago

May 6, 2025

Vandals Break Into South Dakota BLM Area, Drive Heavy Equipment Into Ditch

Law enforcement officers are investigating a strange incident of vandalism at Fort Meade Recreation Area in South Dakota just east of the Wyoming border. Multiple construction vehicles on-site for an infrastructure project were driven into the same ditch.

Two Komatsu excavators and a skid-steer loader were driven into a narrow ditch dug to install a water pipeline. All three vehicles belong to the contractor for the project, Flatland Enterprises LLC.

“An unknown individual or individuals gained unauthorized access to the construction equipment on the evening of May 3,” Brittany E. Jones, Chief of Communications for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Montana/Dakotas Office, told Cowboy State Daily. “The contractor was able to recover and remove the equipment from the trench on May 5, and construction resumed the next day.”

Wyoming and South Dakota are experiencing a surge of similar incidents of vandalism on public lands. An incident on this scale in South Dakota is not inspiring confidence in Wyoming’s contractors.

“We worry about all of our machinery whenever it leaves the yard,” said Paul Leroux, owner of Boone’s Machine and Rental in Cody. “We’ve never experienced something like this, but anything can happen.

Ditch Diggers Down

Jones said Flatland Enterprises was in the process of installing a potable water pipeline to improve water access for Fort Meade Recreation Area’s campgrounds and grazing livestock. Their vehicles ended up in the ditch they had dug for the new infrastructure.

“The contractor’s equipment sustained minor damage but remains functional,” she said. “There was no reported environmental damage related to the incident, and (it caused) an estimated 1.5-day delay.”

The Meade County Sheriff’s Department is actively investigating the incident. They had strong words for the “genius” whose “childish antics” damaged the equipment and delayed the project.

“This weekend, somebody decided it would be hilarious to take valuable equipment for a joyride,” the department posted on Facebook. “So, whoever you are, do us all a favor and leave. Go find a sandbox somewhere else and play your stupid games that ruin other people’s property! Your little stunt has cost taxpayers money because this is a public project. This is exactly why we can’t have nice things!”

Vandals broke into a South Dakota public recreation area near the Wyoming border over the weekend and drove several construction vehicles into a ditch. It’s another instance of vandalism on public lands that has Wyoming contractors watching. (Bureau of Land Management)

Risk Of Exposure

Leroux looked over the photos of the ditched diggers. Based on what he could see, he believed the damage wasn’t too significant.

“It’s hard to see the details, but it looks like there were some bent panels. The repairs probably aren’t super-extensive, and most of those machines could be re-corrected and put back to work relatively quickly,” he said.

Leroux said earth movers are designed to be durable, but that doesn’t make them invulnerable. Improper handling can damage any machine.

“There’s always exposure when you have equipment in the field, whether qualified or unqualified people are using it,” he said. “It’s a constant worry.”

Flatland’s machinery was installing a water pipeline, but the job site and the ditch appeared to be dry. According to Leroux, that’s very fortunate.

“Repairs can be extensive if a machine ends up in a pond or something,” he said. “If the surfaces are mostly dry, the machines will probably be okay.”

Vagaries Of Vandalism

Jones said vandalism is “an unfortunate and ongoing challenge on public lands” in South Dakota. This is just the latest incident of a disconcerting trend.

“Public lands are a shared national resource, and the BLM encourages all visitors to respect these spaces and follow Leave No Trace principles,” she said. “These acts undermine the shared values of stewardship and access that public lands are built upon.”

Recent incidents of vandalism at Fort Meade have resulted in damaged or destroyed signs, vault toilets, kiosks, gates, fences, and other public facilities. Repairing that damage comes at the taxpayer’s expense.

“Acts of vandalism not only waste taxpayer resources but also delay improvements and diminish recreational experiences for the broader community,” Jones said. “The public’s support in protecting these areas helps ensure they remain safe, accessible, and welcoming for generations to come.

Vandals broke into a South Dakota public recreation area near the Wyoming border over the weekend and drove several construction vehicles into a ditch. It’s another instance of vandalism on public lands that has Wyoming contractors watching. (Bureau of Land Management)

Grow Up

Similar incidents of vandalism are a constant and costly irritant throughout Wyoming.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is increasingly concerned about people shooting signs they’ve posted at public access points. Meanwhile, the Wyoming Department of Transportation estimated it would cost $1,000 to replace two road signs stolen from the tunnels along U.S. 14/16/20 west of Cody (although one of the signs was recovered).

“Sadly, people think they can do it, because they can,” Campbell County resident Frank Groth, a firearms instructor and retired law enforcement officer, told Cowboy State Daily. “It’s just irresponsible and childish. And that’s me being charitable. I can think of other words for it.”

Boone rents construction machines to several governmental agencies, including the BLM, the State of Wyoming, and municipalities throughout northwest Wyoming. He’s never experienced anything like the incident at Fort Meade, but the incident doesn’t do anything to assuage his worries about vandalism and damaged property on a job site.

“The contract any entity signs will tell them they have full responsibility for the equipment while it’s on-site,” he said. “We haven’t had to deal with anything like this, but there’s always exposure on the job.”

The Meade County Sheriff’s Office has pledged that several deputies who “share your frustration with this idiocy in our community” are determined to hold the vandals accountable. They encouraged anyone with information to come forward and help them “put an end to this nonsense together” – there’s no defending these ditch-driving vandals.

“There are real people with real jobs relying on this equipment,” they said. “You’ve ruined everything with your pathetic behavior. Seriously, grow up.”

Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.

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South Dakota

DOE selects nine school districts for 2026 South Dakota Perkins Reserve grant

Published

7 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

DOE selects nine school districts for 2026 South Dakota Perkins Reserve grant

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Nine school districts have been selected as recipients of the 2026 Perkins Reserve Grant by the South Dakota Department of Education.

The grant provides major equipment upgrades for Career and Technical Education programs, helping to equip students with the skills and experiences needed for post-secondary education and the workforce.

“CTE programs are constantly evolving to match the pace of workforce needs,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Joseph Graves.

“The South Dakota Perkins Reserve Grant aids schools in equipping students with current technologies, resources, and tools, offering students a realistic, hands-on learning experience that will strengthen their marketability to colleges or employers once they leave the K-12 education system.”

The following school districts have been named as the 2026 recipients:

Aberdeen School District:
- Awarded $30,233 for new precision machine equipment for the manufacturing program.
De Smet School District:
- Awarded $15,898 for modernizing metal fabrication within agriculture programs.
Lake Preston School District:
- Awarded $43,160 for expansion of program offers in multiple career clusters to strengthen industrial alignment.
McLaughlin School District:
- Awarded $11,997 to purchase equipment to offer a new culinary arts program.
Menno School District:
- Awarded $32,844 to purchase small engines and attend professional development opportunities to enhance the agricultural mechanics program.
Mitchell School District:
- Awarded $38,663 for the modernization of the automotive technology lab.
Timber Lake School District:
- Awarded $42,400 for the expansion of agriculture course offerings to strengthen industry alignment.
Wakpala School District:
- Awarded $40,145 to purchase a skid steer simulator to enhance the agriculture and construction program.
Wolsey-Wessington School District:
- Awarded $26,201 to purchase industry-aligned equipment to enhance the agriculture and construction program.

You can learn more about the South Dakota Perkins Reserve Grant at doe.sd.gov.

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for March 4, 2026

Published

19 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 4, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 4 drawing

07-14-42-47-56, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from March 4 drawing

33-38-39-47-51, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from March 4 drawing

02-18-22-30-32

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 4 drawing

12-13-36-39-58, Bonus: 03

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.

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South Dakota

South Dakota lawmakers push bill criminalizing deepfakes nearer to governor’s desk

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

South Dakota lawmakers push bill criminalizing deepfakes nearer to governor’s desk

John Hult
| South Dakota Searchlight

PIERRE — A bill from South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley to criminalize the creation or sharing of deepfakes was amended this week to more clearly define what constitutes nudity before it reaches Gov. Larry Rhoden’s desk.

The amendment, added on the floor of the House of Representatives, came in response to concerns about unintended consequences.

Senate Bill 41 creates a class of felony crime for the creation or distribution of images digitally altered to depict a person in a state of nudity or involved in a sexually explicit act, commonly referred to as deepfakes.

In testimony in the House Judiciary Committee on Monday in Pierre, Jackley pointed to the case of Mark Rathbun, a former Division of Motor Vehicles employee who is accused of taking images of women and girls from state databases and creating sexual images.“This is real, and it’s something that we unfortunately are seeing happen in our state,” Jackley said.

The judiciary committee voted 8-3 to send the bill to the House floor but not before a discussion on its potential to criminalize political memes.

The bill’s definition of nudity originally encompassed a partial state of nudity. Fort Pierre Republican Rep. Will Mortenson asked Jackley if that would include a fabricated topless photo. Jackley said yes. Then Mortenson asked if a fabricated image of Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker without a shirt, if shared by President Donald Trump on social media, would put the president in line for felony charges.

Jackley said a Pritzker image wouldn’t qualify because Pritzker is male, but Mortenson pushed back.

He noted that partially nude fabrications would be a felony if done with the intent to “self-gratify or alarm, annoy, embarrass, harass, invade the privacy of, threaten, or cause emotional, financial, physical, psychological, or reputational harm to that individual.”

Nothing in the bill specified that a person in a digitally fabricated topless image must be female.

“We just said that half-nude is a state of nudity, and so now he’s shirtless, and the point of this is to embarrass this guy,” Mortenson said of his topless Pritzker meme scenario.

Mortenson voted against the bill in committee but brought an amendment Tuesday to define nudity as inclusive of male or female genitalia, buttocks or the female nipple.

The amendment passed, but it did not address every concern about the bill.

Democratic Rep. Kadyn Wittman of Sioux Falls asked Jackley during the bill’s committee hearing why he didn’t use it to enhance penalties for people who film others in states of undress or participating in sexual activity against their will.

That behavior is a felony if it involves the recording of a minor, or if it happens repeatedly. The new penalties for deepfakes would be added to the same chapter of South Dakota law.

“Why is the first time hidden recording a misdemeanor generally, but a digitally fabricated image would automatically be a classified felony,” said Wittman.

Jackley said he feels that the creation of digitally manipulated sexual images, even if they aren’t shared, signals “significant criminal intent.” He told South Dakota Searchlight after the committee meeting that he’s open to addressing that issue, but that SB 41’s primary purpose was to target deepfakes.

On the House floor, Wittman was one of two representatives to say the bill’s felony penalties could be unnecessarily harsh in instances where young people make “a stupid decision” and create a deepfake.

“I feel like, in a lot of situations, this bill covers behavior that could be covered by a lower level of offense,” Wittman said.

Supporters countered that the creation of fake nudes can do real psychological damage to real people, and that the state needs to clearly signal that doing so is a serious crime.

“It’s only fun and games until it happens to you,” said Rep. Mary Fitzgerald, R-St. Onge.

The bill passed the House 60-6. It now moves to the state Senate, which passed the bill 32-0 on Jan. 16. The Senate would need to approve the amended version of the bill before it could be delivered to Gov. Larry Rhoden to sign or veto.

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