Crime and Punishment

There was a curious symmetry of crimes committed last week eastern South Dakota:  one was by a 19 year old, and the other by a 91 year old.  

The 19 year old was wanted for possession of two stolen vehicles. Granted, we could say a lot about the fact that both vehicles had keys inside at the time they were stolen, like 

LOCK YOUR DAMN CARS FOLKS!  THIS AIN'T MAYBERRY ANY MORE!  

But anyway, the police investigation led to them following a van where the driver parked and went inside a store, while the suspect sat in the van.  The officers blocked the van with two violent crime unit vehicles — one in the front and one behind the van - and at that point the suspect jumped into the driver's seat and rammed both police cars, trying to get out.  Didn't work.  Also, I'm sure, pissed them off.

Then he jumped into the backseat and got a handgun, grabbed a one year old (who was in the van somewhere) and held the child in his lap (he's going to prison for that alone, folks), and that's when the SWAT team and negotiators came.  A little after midnight, he released the child, and about an hour later he got out of the car, and as he did his gun went off and he shot himself in the foot.  They still don't know if the shot was intentional or accidental, but I'm leaning towards the latter.  He seems incompetent enough. So they took him to the hospital, but he's in jail now, where he's going to be until his ultimate passage to the pen. (LINK) 

On to the 91 year old:  

HEADLINE:  A 91-year-old Canton man is behind bars after shooting his son.

On Saturday, October 21, Arnold March, 91, was arrested for attempting "without authority of law and with a premeditated design" to kill his son.  In other words, he shot him.  Mr. March is sitting in jail with a $500,000 cash bond.  There's been no update on the son's condition since.  In fact, there's been radio / TV / internet silence about the whole thing ever since.  For a week.  Something is going on there, but our news outlets have decided we know enough for now...  (So South Dakota...)  (LINK)

In any case, there's a good chance that both the 19 year old (for sure) and the 91 year old (maybe) will end up in the same place:  

THE SOUTH DAKOTA PENITENTIARY

The DOC has finally bought land for the new men's prison in Lincoln County (a large chunk of which is southern Sioux Falls these days, and another chunk is the town of Harrisburg).  But it's a big county (most South Dakota counties are), with a large rural area, and the rural residents of Lincoln County are having a fit.  The farmers around are afraid for their families, it will hurt the growth of Harrisburg, it will decrease property values, and basically, NIMBY.  And they're all shocked that the land the DOC bought was already owned by the State of South Dakota through the Office of School and Public Lands.  Apparently everyone thought that it was owned by a farmer.  No, it had been rented to a farmer, because why shouldn't the State make some money while they try to figure out what to do with the land?

Pro tip:  before you buy land, or a house, or move anywhere, do some due diligence.  Go down to a Register of Deeds and find out whose property is all around you.

Anyway, the Lincoln County opponents - NOPE! Neighbors Opposing Prison Expansion! - wrote DOC SOC Kellie Wasko to urge her to consider another site.  She responded politely but firmly.

I was discussing this with some opponents of the new location earlier and they raised the same argument about population. "Well, was it that way when the pen was built?" In other words, wasn't it in the middle of nowhere then? Well, when the pen was first built, in 1881, Sioux Falls had about 2000 people, and there was already a Queen Bee Mill operating in the Big Sioux River directly south of the pen. The Warden, of course, lived on the premises (along with his family). And all the workers, both at the Mill and the Pen, would have lived within walking distance, because no one had cars. There were no cars. And you didn't drive a wagon to work to leave your horse standing outside all day. So actually, there would have been about 2000 people living within a half a mile of the pen, and those numbers would have kept growing as in 1909 John Morrell's meatpacking opened up right down river from the Pen and the Mill. Lot of employees, lot of housing.  

Anyway, the new pen won't be finished until 2025 or 2028 (no one's sure which).  No one knows or is telling what they know about what's going to happen to the old building from 1881.  I just hope they won't turn it into luxury condos because it will be seriously haunted.  After all, Florence isn't going anywhere.