Latest news with #MitchellPoliceDepartment
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Federal grants aid local law enforcement to battle underage drinking
Apr. 30—MITCHELL — Local law enforcement officers are on task to reduce underage drinking and vehicular fatalities in Davison County. The Mitchell Police Department and the Davison County Sheriff's Department were granted approval by their governing bodies to seek federal grants for paying officers and deputies overtime while conducting alcohol compliance checks to reduce underage drinking and performing traffic stops in highly-frequented roadways. The hop is to reduce fatalities within Mitchell and Davison County. Davison County Sheriff Chief Deputy Tim Reitzel is requesting $48,637 in funding, $13,000 of which will be for overtime reimbursement and $20,900 for equipment. The sheriff's department is seeking $7,000 for speed, seat belt and DWI enforcement. Mitchell Chief of Police Dean Knippling is requesting $9,629 in funding for alcohol compliance checks, and $17,772 for speed and seat belt enforcement. A key component of the law enforcement grants is battling underage drinking in Davison County, though Knippling explained alcohol consumption by minors hasn't necessarily increased. Numbers can be skewed, Knippling warned. One house party can have 30 or 40 kids who receive citations for underage drinking. "It's just whether or not we happen to catch them at the time," Knippling said. "If you catch two or three parties, your numbers are going to go up drastically." The department deals with a small percentage of Mitchell juveniles on a regular basis, according to Knippling. The Davison County Sheriff's Office and the Mitchell Police Department are part of the South-Central Alcohol Task Force, with the goal of combating the purchase of alcohol by underage individuals in their jurisdictions. In 2023, there were 168 arrests involving underage consumption of alcohol in Davison County. In 2024, there were 115. As of March 31 this year, there were 37 arrests. The Mitchell Police Department hires a confidential informant at $30 per hour to conduct alcohol compliance checks, a process to verify if retail clerks check for photo identification and age before allowing alcohol to be purchased. Nine compliance checks, estimated at 3.5 hours of work each, comes out to $945 in contractual labor. Two Mitchell police officers conduct the compliant checks, which must be conducted on an overtime basis, according to grant guidelines. Each compliance check takes an estimated four hours of work for each officer at a rate of $68 per hour for a total of $5,451. The confidential informant also receives a preliminary breath test before and after the alcohol compliance checks to verify that they have not consumed alcohol. The breath test machine cost $399. The confidential informant wears an audio recorder, priced at $310 and requires 9-volt batteries, which allows for officers to hear the alcohol transaction as it happens. Additionally, as stated in the Mitchell Police Department's grant application, an estimated five compliance checks, as part of the South Dakota South/Central Alcohol Task Force, are performed outside of city limits in Davison, Aurora and Minor counties by sheriff's deputies at an estimated cost of $510 for car rentals and $150 for gas. Overtime rates for the deputies are at a rate of $37 per hour for a total cost of $555. The total compliance check project cost is $9,629. In 2024, Miner and Aurora counties were at 100% compliance. In 2023 and 2024, Davison County alcohol compliance checks had a 85% success rate at local retailers. In January, four Mitchell businesses failed alcohol compliance checks. In March, one business failed. Clerks who fail to verify age are cited for selling alcohol to the underage individual. The subsequent police report is forwarded to the State Attorney's Office for prosecution of the clerk and to the South Dakota Department of Revenue for action against the alcohol license holder. The grants require that efforts be taken to identify high-crash sites and place law enforcement presence there to reduce the amount of fatalities from crashes in those locations. "You don't go out to a rural area that sees one car in an hour," Reitzel said. In 2023, alcohol-involved crashes made up 5.8 percent of total crashes, but 26.6% of all fatal crashes in South Dakota, according to the Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Summary. "Obviously, on the speed grant, we're looking for people speeding and not wearing seat belts. That's a focus. And on impaired driving, we're looking for impaired-driving, alcohol and drug violations," Reitzel said. The Mitchell Police Department will focus on school zones during the school year and on parks during the summer months, according to Knippling. The department will work to reduce work zone fatalities as well by having a police presence to encourage drivers to slow down. The Mitchell Police Department has not been as active with overtime due to past officers being unwilling to work overtime, according to Knippling. The 2026 grants are federally-funded by the United States Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and administered by the South Dakota Department of Public Safety's Highway Safety office. Each grant requires a 20% soft match from the local government. A 2025 grant of nearly $16,000 enabled the purchase and installation of cameras in four Sheriff's Department patrol cars, according to Reitzel. The 2026 grant request of $20,900 will complete the cameras in the county's five other patrol cars. The sheriff's department also applied for a homeland security grant. Previously, county commissioners approved the annual purchase of cloud storage to keep track of footage from patrol car cameras. A previous $5,200 grant enabled a sheriff deputy to go to training at a California law enforcement school. The 2026 grant is requesting funds to send a sheriff's deputy to a training in Baltimore for $3,000. The Mitchell Police Department is requesting to add four radar units for speed enforcement at $3,193 each for a total of $12,772.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
Mitchell man sentenced to four years for child sexual abuse material offenses
Apr. 24—MITCHELL — A Mitchell man was sentenced Tuesday morning in Davison Felony Court to four years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material, both classified as Class 4 felonies. For the distribution charge, Dillon Phillips, 21, received a ten-year sentence with eight years suspended, along with credit for 224 days already served. He received an identical sentence for the possession charge, minus the credit for time served. The sentences will run consecutively. Phillips entered his guilty plea in November as part of a plea agreement that resulted in the dismissal of eight additional counts of possession of child sexual abuse material. The case began in February 2024 when the Mitchell Police Department was alerted by the Flagstaff, Arizona Police Department about a 13-year-old girl who had sent nude images via Snapchat to an account registered in Mitchell. Investigators traced the Snapchat account to Phillips using his cell phone number and associated IP addresses. A search warrant executed in August uncovered an image of the victim that matched one sent to the Snapchat account linked to Phillips. According to court records, Phillips forwarded this image to another individual through a messaging service in November 2023, while posing as a female named "Jessie." Further forensic analysis of Phillips' phone revealed at least ten additional images depicting prepubescent females, aged 4 to 12, engaged in sexual acts or poses. These images were created or modified between July 7 and Aug. 19, 2024, falling under new South Dakota laws on child pornography enacted July 1, 2024. During interviews with police, Phillips denied owning the Snapchat account but admitted to engaging in sexualized conversations online, often pretending to be a juvenile. He denied requesting nude images but acknowledged he was the only person who used his phone.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
Man arrested for DUI after veering off street, hitting garage with SUV in Mitchell on Sunday
Feb. 24—MITCHELL — A Mitchell man was arrested for driving while intoxicated on Sunday afternoon after veering off a street and crashing into a garage in a residential area. The Mitchell Police Department reported Monday that it responded to a call around 1:45 p.m. Sunday regarding a crash in the 600 block of South Lawler Street. When officers arrived and upon further investigation, Christopher Dirkes, 45, was identified as the driver of a 2000 GMC Yukon that left the roadway at the 200 block of East Elm Avenue and struck a garage. No one was injured in the residence but the garage had significant structural damage from the garage. According to Mitchell Police, Dirkes was arrested for driving while intoxicated, which is a Class 1 misdemeanor. Authorities also issued a report on a two-vehicle crash from Sunday morning at the intersection of First Avenue and Burr Street. The crash occurred shortly before 9:15 a.m. Police said two drivers in SUVs collided in the intersection and claimed they had a green light at the time they entered the intersection. Both vehicles were significantly damaged. Minor injuries were reported to the drivers and no charges have been filed.
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Yahoo
Local law enforcement honor Mitchell detective for quick response while off-duty
Jan. 26—MITCHELL — Law enforcement personnel from Mitchell and the surrounding counties gathered at the Mitchell Police Department training room on Thursday to surprise one of their own with an honorary award for going above and beyond. Mitchell Detective Andrew Becker received the South Dakota Highway Patrol Superintendent's Performance Award for stopping to render aid while off-duty. Becker, his wife Marissa and their children were on the way to Tea to see family on the Saturday before Thanksgiving 2024 when they witnessed a car crash. Without hesitation, Becker immediately "took the ditch," according to his wife. Inside the wreckage, a female driver was unresponsive and two passengers—an adult woman and a young girl—were seriously injured. Becker immediately pulled the unconscious driver from the car and began CPR, continuing life-saving efforts until first responders arrived. Meanwhile, his wife, who stayed in the car with their two young sons, called 911. "That natural instinct kicks in — to him it's just another day," Marissa Becker said. Highway Patrol State Trooper Shane Johnson arrived at the scene and relieved Becker from CPR duties. But Becker didn't stop there. He continued to render aid and emotional support to the other passengers, including a four-year old girl and a witness in shock. Despite Becker's efforts, the driver died from her injuries at the scene of the crash. Afterward, Johnson nominated Becker for the superintendent's award. The Superintendent's Performance Award is a recognition given to individuals or groups for outstanding contributions or actions that go above and beyond typical expectations. The award has been given to South Dakota Highway Patrol members, other law enforcement officers as well as private citizens. The award acknowledges exceptional performance in promoting highway safety, customer service and volunteer community service. Colonel Casey Collins, superintendent of the Highway Patrol, told the Mitchell Republic that not everyone who gets nominated is approved for the award, and that it's rare to give them out. "It was an easy yes," Collins added. To honor Becker, Dean Knippling, the Mitchell chief of police, arranged a surprise ceremony. Knippling scheduled Becker to lead a training off-site to get him out of the building and fill it with Becker's family and local law enforcement. Sheriff departments from Sanborn, Davison and Hanson counties were also in attendance. Becker, who became a police officer in 2016 and a detective in 2019, was visibly surprised by how many people came to honor him. "Yeah, they pulled it off. I was like 'there's a lot of, you know, high ranking officers (vehicles) in the parking lot,'" Becker said. The Superintendent's Performance Award plaque commemorates Becker's actions that day. The commemorative plaque states: "On November 23, 2024, a single-vehicle rollover occurred on Interstate 90 near mile marker 344 in Hanson County. The crash involved three occupants, including a 4-year-old girl. Both adult occupants sustained life-threatening injuries, and tragically, the female driver succumbed to her injuries at the scene. Detective Andrew Becker of the Mitchell Police Department, who was off duty at the time, witnessed the crash while traveling westbound on Interstate 90 with his wife and two children. Without hesitation, Detective Becker drove his vehicle into the north ditch and sprinted to the crashed vehicle. Displaying extraordinary composure and courage, he pulled the unresponsive female driver from the vehicle and began CPR, continuing life-saving measures until first responders arrived on the scene. Trooper Shane Johnson arrived shortly after and took over CPR. Meanwhile, Detective Becker turned his attention to comforting the 4-year-old girl and later provided support to a female witness who was visibly shaken by the incident. Even during a chaotic and tragic situation, Detective Becker's actions demonstrated his unwavering commitment to service and his deep compassion for others. Detective Andrew Becker acted not for recognition but out of a servant's heart and dedication to the people of South Dakota. In recognition of his selfless actions, Mitchell Police Detective Andrew Becker is awarded the South Dakota Highway Patrol Superintendent's Performance Award. 1/3/2025 Colonel Casey Collins Superintendent, SD Highway Patrol"
