Jul. 17—MITCHELL — The following cases were among those heard Tuesday, July 15, during a circuit court session at the Davison County Public Safety Center, with Judge Chris Giles presiding:
* Gabriel Shepherd, 22, of Waubay, appeared in court for a status hearing related to multiple drug charges. He faces allegations including manufacturing or distributing methamphetamine (a Class 3 felony), possession of methamphetamine (a Class 5 felony), possession of drug paraphernalia (a Class 2 misdemeanor), and possession of two ounces or less of marijuana (a Class 1 misdemeanor). The case has been continued for two weeks.
* Dustin Fox, 34, of Mitchell, pleaded guilty to obstructing police and resisting arrest, both classified as Class 1 misdemeanors. As part of a plea agreement, a fourth-offense domestic abuse simple assault charge, which is a Class 5 felony, was dismissed. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
* Paula Dockendorf, 45, of Emery, appeared in court for a status hearing and requested that her jury trial be rescheduled from August to October. The court granted the request. She is facing charges of possession of a controlled substance, Ambien, which is a Class 6 felony, and possession of a controlled substance in jail, a Class 4 felony. According to court documents, the Davison County Jail conducted a shakedown of the female pod due to suspected drug activity. During the search, officials discovered a small piece of electrical tape wrapped around plastic containing seven pills: three Lorazepam, three Ambien, and one over-the-counter Benadryl. Dockendorf told authorities the pills were given to her by her cellmate and she did not know what to do with them. At the time, she was serving a weekend sentence in jail. Although she has a valid prescription for Lorazepam, inmates are not allowed to possess prescription medications.
* Bruno Nava-Trujillo, 29, of Mitchell, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine, a Class 5 felony. As part of a plea agreement, several other charges were dismissed, including having an altered or invalid license, a Class 1 misdemeanor, as well as three Class 2 misdemeanors: possession of drug paraphernalia, driving with a suspended license, and failure to maintain financial responsibility. He was sentenced to five years in prison with all time suspended. He was also ordered to serve two years of probation, pay a $750 fine and spend eight days in jail.
* Grady Sullivan, 50, of Mitchell, pleaded guilty to a second-offense driving under the influence (DUI). The court granted a suspended imposition of sentence. He was fined $500 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with credit for one day already served and 70 days suspended.
* Lee Hauge, 35, of Mitchell, was sentenced after pleading guilty in May to possession of cocaine, a Class 5 felony. He was granted a deferred imposition, meaning the charge may be reduced to a misdemeanor if he successfully completes a two-year probation period. Hauge was also fined $750 and ordered to serve eight days in jail.
* Larry Anderson, 32, of Mitchell, was sentenced for violating the conditions of his probation, which he was serving for a meth possession conviction. The court ordered his three-year probation period to restart. He was also accepted into the James Valley Drug and DUI Court program.
* Trevin Gardner, 19, of Mitchell, admitted to violating the terms of his probation. He had been serving probation for eluding, a Class 1 misdemeanor. Sentencing is scheduled to take place in four weeks.
* Gary Kuper, 68, of Mitchell, admitted to violating the terms of his probation, which he was serving for third-degree burglary, a Class 5 felony. His five-year prison sentence remains suspended, and his two-year probation period has been ordered to restart.
* Joseph Darville, 42, of Tea, failed to appear in court for a bond forfeiture hearing. He also missed a scheduled court appearance last month, leading to the forfeiture of his bond. Darville is facing a Class 2 misdemeanor charge for possession of drug paraphernalia and a Class 5 felony charge for possession of methamphetamine.
* Zach Nelson, 22, of Mitchell, appeared in court for a status hearing. He requested a continuance, which the court granted for two weeks. Nelson is facing a Class 6 felony charge for failing to register a new address.
* Johnny Hall Jr., 55, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to charges of identity theft, a Class 6 felony, and domestic abuse for violating a bond condition, a Class 1 misdemeanor. He requested a personal recognizance bond, which the court approved. A jury trial is scheduled for October.
* Michael St. Pierre, 26, of Mitchell, admitted to violating the terms of his probation, which he was serving for a third-offense domestic abuse simple assault conviction. His two-year prison sentence remains suspended, and his three-year probation period was ordered to restart. He also pleaded guilty to a new fourth-offense domestic abuse simple assault charge, a Class 5 felony. As part of a plea agreement, charges of abuse or cruelty to a minor, a Class 3 felony; second-offense DUI; and reckless driving, both Class 1 misdemeanors, were dismissed. For the new felony charge, St. Pierre was sentenced to five years in prison with all time suspended. He was fined $500 and ordered to serve three years of probation. He was also accepted into the James Valley Drug and DUI Court program.
* Carrie Lefort, 57, of Mitchell, requested a continuance in her case, which the court granted. Her attorney stated that a forensic accountant hired to review the case is finalizing their analysis. Lefort is facing a Class 3 felony charge of grand theft involving an amount between $100,000 and $500,000. The jury trial, originally set for August, has been rescheduled for October.
* Russell Duley, 27, of Mitchell, pleaded guilty to a third-offense DUI, a Class 6 felony. As part of a plea agreement, several other charges were dismissed, including open container, resisting an officer, careless driving, and driving with a revoked license, Class 2 misdemeanors. Duley was sentenced to two years in prison with all time suspended. He was fined $650, ordered to serve two years of probation, and serve 10 days in jail.
* Garrett Stewart, 34, of Bakersfield, California, pleaded guilty to a third-offense DUI, which is a Class 6 felony. As part of a plea agreement, other charges were dismissed, including driving with a revoked license, a Class 1 misdemeanor, as well as careless driving and having an open container, both Class 2 misdemeanors. Stewart was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with credit for one day already served and 81 days suspended. He was also fined $500.
* Terry Foolbull, 69, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to a third or subsequent offense of domestic abuse simple assault, a Class 6 felony, and to interference with emergency communications, a Class 1 misdemeanor. He requested a personal recognizance bond, which the court granted. A jury trial is scheduled for October.
* Jamie Shay, 40, of Mitchell, requested a continuance in her case, which the court granted. She is currently seeking acceptance into the James Valley Drug and DUI Court program. Her jury trial, originally scheduled for August, has been postponed to October. Shay is facing charges for possession of drug paraphernalia and driving with a canceled license, both Class 2 misdemeanors, as well as possession of methamphetamine, a Class 5 felony.
* Davyen Garcia, 26, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to a charge of distributing child sexual abuse material, a Class 3 felony. According to court documents, the Mitchell Police Department received a CyberTip on June 25 reporting that a video showing a sexual act involving a prepubescent child had been uploaded to Snapchat. The account associated with the upload was listed under Garcia’s name. Investigators traced the IP address used to upload the file back to Garcia. During an interview with law enforcement, Garcia admitted to downloading the file and sending it to another person through Snapchat. Garcia requested a personal recognizance bond, which the court granted. A jury trial is scheduled for October.
* Brooke Schiller, 31, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to a fifth or subsequent offense of domestic abuse simple assault, a Class 4 felony. A jury trial is scheduled for October.
* Joshua Whiteman, 28, of Mitchell, pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary, a Class 3 felony. As part of a plea agreement, several other charges were dismissed, including simple assault and threatening law enforcement officers, both Class 1 misdemeanors, as well as first-degree burglary, a Class 2 felony. Whiteman was sentenced to eight years in prison but received a suspended execution of sentence, meaning all prison time was suspended. He will serve three years of probation and was fined $1,000.
* James Jenkins, 34, of Sioux Falls, had his case continued, resulting in the postponement of a jury trial originally scheduled for August to October. The continuance allows time to address pending federal charges he is also facing. Jenkins is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class 2 misdemeanor; possession of two ounces or less of marijuana, obstructing police, and possessing a firearm with a prior misdemeanor domestic violence conviction, all Class 1 misdemeanors; possession of a firearm after a violent crime conviction, a Class 6 felony; and possession of methamphetamine, a Class 5 felony.
* Trenton Slattery, 23, of Mitchell, pleaded guilty to domestic abuse simple assault, a Class 1 misdemeanor. As part of a plea agreement, a Class 6 felony charge for a third or subsequent offense of domestic abuse simple assault and a Class 1 misdemeanor for violating a no-contact order with the victim prior to his court appearance were dismissed. Slattery was sentenced to 103 days in jail, with credit for 13 days already served and 90 days suspended. He was also fined $350.
* Caleb White, 28, of Mitchell, pleaded guilty to domestic abuse simple assault, a Class 1 misdemeanor. As part of a plea agreement, a Class 3 felony charge for abuse and cruelty to a minor was dismissed. White was sentenced to 95 days in jail, with credit for five days already served and 90 days suspended. He was also fined $350. According to court documents, in March, White’s wife showed police photos of their child taken after an alleged incident on Oct. 10, 2024. The images reportedly showed a welted handprint on the child’s torso and bite marks on her forearm. White allegedly admitted to hitting the child on her torso and biting her forearm, referring to the incident as a “butt whooping.”
* Brandi Wells, 49, of Great Falls, Montana, pleaded not guilty to charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class 2 misdemeanor; possession of two ounces or less of marijuana, a Class 1 misdemeanor; and possession of cocaine, a Class 5 felony. A jury trial is scheduled for October.
* Skylore Surrounded, 31, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to second-degree escape by a prisoner, a Class 5 felony. A jury trial is scheduled for October. According to court documents, he was granted furlough to visit his sister at Avera Hospital in Sioux Falls but failed to return to the Davison County Jail.