Latest news with #SamClemens
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Police hope falling car theft trend continue in Sioux Falls
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The number of stolen cars in Sioux Falls dropped from 2023 to last year. However, police still warn people that car thieves are very active in the city. On Sunday, someone broke into two apartments at the Dow Rummel Village and stole cash and two cars. One car was recovered, the other is still missing. 'Masks and vests': Witnesses describe ICE in Madison 8 out of 10 cars stolen in Sioux Falls are left unlocked with the keys inside. It's easy pickings for criminals. Sioux Falls Police say there are thieves, sometimes working in groups, just looking for this kind of opportunity. However, there is positive news: for the first time since 2018, car thefts dropped in Sioux Falls. In 2023, a record 1,600 vehicles were stolen, but in 2024 that number dropped to less than 1300. That is significant because stolen cars are often used in other crimes. 'I think people have a misperception that these cars are stolen and get sent to a chop shop or parted out, that's the thing that you see in TV and movies. That's not what we are seeing in Sioux Falls. What we are seeing is people stealing these cars, primarily using them to commit other crimes, said Police Spokesman Sam Clemens. In February, a suspect fired shots at a police officer while burglarizing a vape shop before running away. Turns out both the vehicle and the gun were stolen. And in April a man accused of shooting and wounding a Sioux Falls police officer on west 12th street and was later wounded by Highway Patrol troopers was driving a stolen SUV. Clemens says the city of Sioux Falls's campaign to encourage people to Lock It and Pocket may be working. 'But we are talking 80 to 90 percent of the cars that are stolen are unlocked with the keys left in them,' said Clemens. 'Sometimes people leave it in a center console, under the floor mat, in a cup holder, it could be a spare key they keep their primary key with them, there's any number of different reason but people leaving keys in the car, somebody is going to come by and steal it that's what it really comes down to.' Full-size pick-ups are a primary target for car thieves, but they will take any make or model if the keys are left in them. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
Two identified in fatal southeastern Sioux Falls car crash, police say
The Sioux Falls Police Department has released the names of two individuals who died in a fatal May 9 car crash in Sioux Falls, department spokesperson Sam Clemens said in a May 12 police briefing for media. Emergency responders were dispatched to East 57th Street and South Veterans Parkway around 6:30 p.m., according to a May 9 press release from Sioux Falls Police Department Sgt. Travis Olsen. Investigators determined a 2015 Ford Taurus initiated a left turn onto 57th Street, according to the press release. The vehicle, which had a flashing yellow turn signal, turned in front of an oncoming GMC Sierra, which had a green light, traveling southbound on Veterans Parkway, Clemens said. Previous Coverage: Two dead following Friday night car crash in southeastern Sioux Falls A passenger in the Ford Taurus, 78-year-old Linda Lee Metzger, was declared dead at the scene, Clemens said. The driver of the vehicle, 77-year-old Charles Dean Metzger, was transported to an area hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Both occupants of the Ford Taurus were from Lester, Iowa, according to the press release. The sole occupant of the GMC Sierra, a 35-year-old Harrisburg man, was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries, according to the press release. 'There are traffic cameras at that intersection, so that'll help with the investigation,' Clemens said Monday. 'But it's too early to say whether speeds, alcohol or drugs were a factor in that.' The incident is still under investigation, Clemens said. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls police identify victims in fatal Veterans Parkway crash
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man faces DWI charges after driving into Sioux Falls business
A Sioux Falls man was arrested May 11, after crashing into Roy'zzz Premium Cannabis, Sioux Falls Police Department spokesperson Sam Clemens said in a May 12 police briefing. Frederick Walton, 75, faces charges of driving while intoxicated and open container in a motor vehicle, Clemens said. The incident occurred at about 8:30 p.m. as a 2013 Toyota Avalon drove south on Louise Avenue, Clemens said. The vehicle left the roadway and struck a building. Damage to the building is estimated to be about $100,000, Clemens said. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Man drives into Sioux Falls business, causes thousands in damages
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
Crews respond to bus crash in eastern Sioux Falls
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Emergency crews have responded to a school bus crash in eastern Sioux Falls Thursday afternoon. Dark money group attacks South Dakota Senator The crash happened at the intersection of 49th Street and Sycamore Avenue. According to Sioux Falls Police Department spokesman Sam Clemens, the bus stopped at the stop sign and went east through the intersection when it hit a Ford Edge that was going north on Sycamore Ave. Clemens said an officer is still working on the scene, but there have been no injuries reported. Clemens said the bus had five kids and the Ford Edge had one person. Police were responding to the scene of the crash. KELOLAND News has reached out to the Sioux Falls Police Department and Sioux Falls School District for more information. This is a developing story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
