State health worker uses job to forge medical marijuana card, SD prosecutors say
Alexandra Feiner, of Pierre, is now facing multiple criminal charges including forgery, offering false or forged instrument for filing, possession of a forged instrument and falsification of public records by a public officer or employee, the South Dakota State's Attorney's Office said in a June 2 news release.
The woman was working for the South Dakota Department of Health where she was able to use her job to avoid medical provider certifications and fees necessary to obtain the card, according to prosecutors. She fraudulently obtained the card between March 2024 and March 2025, officials said.
McClatchy News reached out to the South Dakota Department of Health but did not immediately receive a response.
'This type of conduct reflects poorly on those state government employees who work hard for South Dakotans,' Attorney General Marty Jackley said in a statement.
According to court documents, the employee fraudulently created a new medical marijuana card for herself after her card obtained in 2023 expired, KELO reported. Officials said she had the ability to create and issue these cards through her work at the health department, according to the local news outlet.
Marijuana is only legal for medical use in South Dakota after voters rejected a ballot measure to legalize recreational use in 2024, according to the South Dakota Searchlight.
If convicted, Feiner faces up to 10 years in prison, according to the state's attorney's office.
Pierre is about a 220-mile drive northwest from Sioux Falls.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
11-08-2025
- Miami Herald
3-month-old endangered Florida predators — likely littermates — are found killed
Two rare Florida panther kittens that appear to be siblings were killed together by vehicle strikes outside a Naples subdivision. The pair of panthers, both 3.5-month-old females, were found dead on Davis Road the morning of Sunday, Aug. 10, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. FWC biologists said the two were killed at approximately the same time. 'Given that fact, and that they are estimated to be the same age, it makes sense that they are likely from the same litter,' lead panther biologist Dave Onorato told McClatchy News. One was found dead in the eastbound lanes of the six-lane road, and the other was found dead in the westbound lanes. They were killed just south of the Naples Heritage Golf & Country Club and another residential community on Madison Park Boulevard. Vehicle strikes are the leading cause of death of the endangered Florida panther, accounting for nearly 60% of fatalities, according to the FWC. Of the 12 panther deaths that have been documented this year, 11 have been from vehicle collisions, records show. 'As the state grows, suitable habitat for panthers and other wildlife shrinks,' biologists said. 'Florida panthers normally live in remote, undeveloped areas. But as both the number of panthers and the number of people living and recreating in Florida grows, so does the chance of an encounter with a panther.' Panthers roam across large territories that are increasingly crisscrossed by roads, with males typically having a home range of about 160 to 200 miles, while females' territory is 60 to 75 miles, experts say. Young panthers in particular are vulnerable to vehicle strikes, data panther kittens that died would likely have still been dependent on their mother for food. 'When they are about 2 months old, kittens begin to accompany their mother on hunting forays,' according to FWC biologists. 'At first she hides them nearby while she hunts. After a kill, she leads them to the site where they all feed.' While panthers may prefer remote wilderness, the location of these deaths shows the animals live near urban areas as well. The FWC recommends if you see a panther, give them space, face the animal, try to appear larger and don't run. To report an injured or dead panther, call the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.
Chicago Tribune
08-08-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Woman charged with aggravated battery, hate crime for alleged defacement of Pilsen mural
Authorities have charged a Pilsen resident with hate crimes and aggravated battery after she allegedly attacked a woman who earlier this summer tried to stop her from damaging a neighborhood mural depicting a Palestinian man. Danielle Wasserman, 37, faces four counts of aggravated battery in a public place, two counts of hate crime and a single count of criminal damage to property. The alleged June 13 confrontation between Wasserman and Natalie Figueroa, the woman who tried to intervene, prompted the Muslim civic advocacy group CAIR-Chicago to call for hate crime charges. At a June news conference, Figueroa still had a large lump on her forehead and said Wasserman had hit her with a metal three-hole punch. According to a police report, Wasserman was in the middle of painting 'THANK YOU ISRAEL' on the mural, located near the intersection of West 16th Street and South Ashland Avenue, when Figueroa tried to get her to stop. The mural depicts a Mexican man and a Palestinian man resting in a field. The report stated that an arriving police officer found Wasserman pinning Figueroa to the ground near the mural. Wasserman allegedly told police that she did not want anything, that Figueroa had been following her and walked away from the scene. Figueroa showed police a video she'd taken of Wasserman wearing a dark hoodie and sunglasses as she painted on the mural, the report stated. By the time police went to find Wasserman about a block away, she was gone, the report stated. Wasserman was scheduled for a first appearance at Leighton Criminal Courthouse Friday at 12:30 p.m., a spokesperson for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office said.
Miami Herald
07-08-2025
- Miami Herald
30-year-old from North Carolina dies after going under in alpine lake, WA cops say
A 30-year-old man from Raleigh, North Carolina, died after going underwater in a cold alpine lake in Washington, deputies said. Someone sent a 911 text at about 7:15 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3, from Colchuck Lake, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said in an Aug. 6 Facebook post. The man, who has not been identified by authorities, hiked to the icy vibrant blue lake from Colchuck Trail with three friends, spokesperson Jason Reinfeld told McClatchy News in an Aug. 7 email. Reinfeld said the group then got in the water to swim. They were swimming 'across a small inlet' on the west side of the lake when the man couldn't swim further, Reinfeld said. The man was about 20 yards from the shore when he went underwater for about five minutes, Reinfeld said. Another hiker pulled the victim out of the water. The hiker and the man's friends took turns performing CPR until first responders got to the scene, Reinfeld said. Because of the remote mountain area, the man was hoisted into an Army helicopter at about 8:45 p.m., deputies said in the news release. He was transported to the Leavenworth Fish Hatchery where he was pronounced dead, deputies said. Colchuck Lake is about a 15-mile drive southwest from Leavenworth, a Bavarian-style village and tourist destination. The lake is icy and deep blue, making it a popular hiking area, according to the Washington Trails Association.
