Latest news with #BoxElder
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man dies in crash south of Lemmon
SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO) — A 49-year-old Box Elder man died in a crash Saturday evening, 15 miles south of Lemmon. A news release from the Department of Safety says the driver of a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado was traveling westbound on S. Cabin Road, just five miles south of Highway 73 and went off the road at a curve and rolled. The driver died of his injuries at the scene. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Utah judge facing charges for sexual abuse, drug distribution
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. SALT LAKE CITY () — A Utah judge is being charged with forcible sexual abuse and several drug-related charges. William Kenneth Kendall, 54, is being charged with forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony; distribution of or arranging to distribute a controlled substance, a third-degree felony; possession or use of a controlled substance, a class B misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor. Kendall was originally appointed to the Third District Court in 2014 by then-Governor Gary Herbert, and he serves several counties in Utah, including Salt Lake, Tooele, and Summit, . Tremonton fire chief and Box Elder judge linked in child abuse case, documents say A spokesperson with Utah courts told that Kendall has not been hearing cases since the middle of March, and he was officially placed on leave when charges were filed on April 2. Kendall's attorney, Greg Skordas, provided with a statement about his client. The full statement is below: Judge William Kendall has humbly served the people of Utah for over 25 years, first as a Deputy District Attorney, then as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and currently as Judge on Utah's Third District Court. He has undergone rigorous vetting in order to be a member of the judiciary, and until now has never been the subject of an allegation of professional misconduct. Judge Kendall is presumed innocent.' Greg Skordas, attorney for Judge William Kendell The charges are traced back to an alleged incident that happened at Kendall's home on Feb. 21, 2025, according to a charging document filed in Third District Court. Kendall is accused of inappropriately touching a woman over her clothes during a gathering at his house. Kendall had reportedly been drinking alcohol and offered THC to a woman at the gathering, documents said. Kendall is accused of touching the victim's buttocks and breasts inappropriately after the pair had smoked what the victim had called a 'weed pen,' according to charging documents. THC products were found at Kendall's home after officials executed a search warrant. Before being appointed as a judge, Kendall worked for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah as an assistant U.S. attorney. He had also served as a deputy district attorney for Salt Lake County. The charges were filed by the Davis County Attorney's Office on April 2. Sorina Trauntvein and Jordan Tracy contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
Alleged Utah serial bank robber charged with six federal felonies
SALT LAKE CITY () — A 57-year-old Utah man prosecutors are calling an alleged serial bank robber will now face six felony charges in a federal court. Dennis L. Dyches of Salt Lake County allegedly robbed multiple credit unions throughout the greater Salt Lake City area – including robbing one of the credit unions twice – between October 2024 and February 2025. Dyches is accused of going into the credit unions and handing the tellers a note, telling them 'This is a robbery.' The notes allegedly demanded the tellers to give him all the money in their drawer and instructed them to not talk to anyone or hit the alarm. The credit unions ranged from stand-alone buildings to branches located in grocery stores. Tremonton fire chief and Box Elder judge linked in child abuse case, documents say According to Acting U.S. Attorney of the District of Utah Felice John Viti, Dyches was finally caught after a surveillance video showed him walking into an underground parking lot after an alleged robbery and leaving in a black Jeep Cherokee. Investigators reportedly tracked the Jeep to one of Dyches' family members. Prosecutors say clothing and accessories matching the descriptions of the suspected robber were found in the Jeep. Dyches was safely taken into custody without any further incident and was later indicted by a federal grand jury. He will make his initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 13. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Montana lawmakers consider expansion of state's Indian Child Welfare Act
Kaiden Forman-Webster ICT + MTFP The sponsor of Montana's Indian Child Welfare Act is proposing several amendments to the bipartisan legislation passed in 2023, saying the changes will extend the law past its statutory sunset later this year, improve consistency in court proceedings around the state and strengthen consultation between state and tribal governments. Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, Chippewa Cree and a Democrat from Box Elder, introduced the amendments in a Monday hearing before the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee. 'What you have before you are amendments detailing more of what was needed,' Windy Boy said during the hearing, referring to the 2023 laws. The committee has not yet voted to advance the bill. Lance Four Star, enrolled Assiniboine and the director of the American Indian Caucus, testified in support of the changes during the Monday hearing. Four Star presented a letter signed by all 12 caucus members stating that Senate Bill 147 is 'a good bill for Indian County and our great state of Montana.' The Indian Child Welfare Act, commonly referred to as ICWA, was passed on the federal level in 1978 to remedy the cascade of Native children that had been displaced from tribes to non-Native households across the entire United States and Alaska. At that time between 75 to 80 percent of Native families had 'lost at least one child to the foster care system,' according to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, often removing children from their culture and tribe. As of 2020, Native children were estimated to be up to 9 percent of the Montana child population and disproportionately 35 percent of the foster care population according to the Montana Judicial Branch Court Improvement Program. Congress realized the severity of this issue and that is why ICWA is centered on the fact that these children are sovereign citizens and the need for protocol when removing them is essential. The act promotes communication between tribes and states to place these children in homes that best represent their distinct culture to remedy the wrongs of the past. Multiple states have written into law their own versions of the Indian Child Welfare Act to strengthen the federal law; Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Washington, and Wyoming are examples of such states to do so. Montana's version of the law passed in 2023 with support from Democrats and Republicans and was later signed by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte. Many of the proponents testifying in favor of the bill praised the current law as a significant step toward improving state-tribal relations in foster care cases involving tribal citizens and reiterated the painful history of family separations during their testimony. The Indian Child Welfare Act is considered the gold standard for child welfare due to its priority to keep children connected to their families, culture and tribes. Many of the aspects of the Montana Indian Child Welfare Act could be applied to non-native children which was one of the takeaways that Sen. Dennis Lenz-R concluded, saying 'The bulk of it could apply to all children.' This most likely refers to the efforts of the law to keep children with their families and ensures the state does their utmost to look into each case. Windy Boy is a long time representative that has served in both chambers of the Montana legislature and has always been a strong advocate for Indigenous issues. As the sponsor of the bill, he looks to further strengthen the preexisting law with several amendments to continually support that Native children learn their culture. 'It is really important for us to make sure that protection for our little ones, our future generation, are here to remain, are here to continue on this way of life,' Windy Boy said. 'There's a lot of things that you don't see on these laws here, this bill here, that have deeper, pure meaning about the real essence of what we're talking about here, real life experience from the heart, real experience from what was gifted to us from above. It is up to me as a Native to make sure that those future generations learn that way of life.' Dozens of individuals testified in support of the bill, including representatives of tribal governments, nonprofits and courts. Other supporters spoke about their personal experiences, making the drive to Helena for their testimony, while others joined in via zoom to voice their support. Lillian Alvernaz, Nakoda and Lakota, works as an attorney representing parents, tribes, social services, agencies and tribal courts. She gave her testimony as the Chair of the Indian Law Section. During her testimony she shared the story of a Native woman who sought her advice. The grandchildren of a Native woman had been split up, two children going to family members and one baby being placed off reservation within a non-Native household. The woman had not seen her grandchild in months and did not know who to ask for help. This bill will be able to remedy situations like this due to the emphasis of keeping families together and the children tied to their tribes, Alvernaz said. Not a single person spoke out in opposition to the bill. One proponent for the bill, Brooke Baracker-Taylor who serves as an assistant attorney general since 2016 representing the state in dependency and neglect cases in several jurisdictions. She traveled to the Capitol on her own personal time to urge for the passing of the Montana Indian Child Welfare Act bill. Baracker-Taylor provided information on some of the amendments that have been added to the bill. 'What I would say about that is it is extremely important because I think it empowers the department to receive all of the information needed to make thoughtful, informed and compassionate decisions,' she said. This is in reference to the many amendments requiring consultation throughout the placement proceedings, ensuring the respective tribes are informed and vice versa, the state can be informed of the tribe's interests. 'I do not believe that the state can make a fully informed decision about the child without the input of the child's tribe," said Ms. Baracker-Taylor. Baracker-Taylor also spoke to guardianship and how it will be further improved with the new bill. 'The 30 day hearing, will result in early family placements and also facilitates transparency and decision making so that all parties, including resource parents, are on notice regarding potential changes of placement and the likely permanency outcome in our cases,' Baracker-Taylor said. This means that the hearings must be heard within 30 days. One of the last amendments focused on by Baracker-Taylor regards the guardians of the child having the option to enter into compacts with tribes allowing all parties involved the best chance of keeping the child connected to their respective culture. 'Providing them with the necessary tools to assist Indian children connect with their tribes, families and communities.' Ms. Baracker-Taylor said. The overall testimony and Windy Boy himself believes this to be a huge step towards providing Indigenous children within the foster care system the best opportunity to lead a healthy life. Promoting consistency for how these cases are handled by the courts and consultation throughout all proceedings between all parties involved was echoed as the best way to achieve this goal. Montana Free Press and ICT will continue to monitor this bill as it makes its way through the Montana state legislature. This story is co-published by Montana Free Press and ICT, a news partnership that covers the Montana American Indian Caucus during the state's 2025 legislative session
