Indeed, Lar. Kaiser was represented by James Kaster, Matt Morgan and Lucas Kaster of Nichols Kaster, PLLP in Minneapolis. Following trial, Kaiser commented: "I would like to thank the jury for their time and for giving me justice. WebSouth Dakota Attorney General Mark Vargo named an interim director of the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation on Tuesday. box 160 Pierre, SD 57501 Telephone: 605-224-8803 Attorneys for Defendant and Appellee _____________________ Meanwhile, Mark Black was in the Brown County DCI interrogation rooms going after the Mette children in a strategic attempt to get them to change their stories. I truly doubt it many other individuals would have endured what she has and kept on fighting to get to this point. WebSOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY prevention protection enforcement March 9, 2022 The Honorable Spencer Gosch Speaker of the House 500 E. Capitol Avenue Pierre, SD 57501 RE: HR 7001 Speaker Gosch: I understand that the House Select Committee on Investigation is close to concluding its work in examining the I have seen situations were women have threaten sexual harassment, to get what what they want. Plaintiff was reassigned to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in Pierre, South Dakota, over 150 miles from Aberdeen, effective January 3, 2012. ~D$fQn}d0(i \I$EauuuF|]>p(_t^A :5u2t,2!u6lTN .cL ;8zMxko^ {q//[\{J1hd@K yzN3B=_J. # Plaintiff thanked Black for his support and asked him not to tell anyone about her difficulties with Erickson. @c`m6x\^=5^'Gb68qk!b@8hg"Xv3nK2 -gW Am 8%d>!EDB8jOpG/4Ps0 Q}Y5z0VF3,=i0U`d ~o^Lq92,r+f^$-Gxpv1yGTY/0 6Lqa{b.K!hD%D*pc?X;^3 F`c!. As you look through the sections that describe the duties of the Division of Criminal Investigation, you will notice Denny Daugaard and Marty Jackley can already see Hell from their decks, Ms. Schwab: if only it was from prison cells. So youre saying, Bob, dont just feign it? An anatomy of the dysfunction under which so much of state government operates. Skill and professionalism are just as important as the ability to connect on a personal level. As Shirley Schwab points out, Ms. Zylstra Kaiser was going through her experience at the same time the DCI and AG office were performing on the Taliaferro-Schwab debacle, and Blacks conduct is a matter of a trail transcript which leads to the judge dismissing the case against them with specific mention of Blacks performance being one of the reasons. yeah, this is pretty much how sexual harassment is handled in this state, right grudz? 7 0 obj MC-you got your story ass backwards. Q Kaiser again said she didn't want to wait for the money and refused to sign any agreement until she had the checks in hand. I know thats not the law, but frankly, these kinds of situations make me so angry . Maybe it was around in the old day, but not now. Is this a symptom of the Good Ol Boy mentality that reeks throughout the state? Kaiser told the texter all negotiations would continue to go through her Minneapolis-based attorney. :"x?W YfP(iv7xE' w2^Pt6kJIy\jhQ"1Bjx Ms Zylstra Kaiser encountered the same players involved in the events that led up to the malicious prosecution of Taliferro-Schwab, including Kim Dorsett. 8 days ago. It caught my ear because it was so unusual to me. Statewide, SD. You cite a few anecdotes, and Im sure instances happen. Former DCI agent Laura Zylstra Kaiser says the state of South Dakota delayed paying her $1.5 million settlement, following a lawsuit over workplace sexual harassment. She was paid on Wednesday after several months of negotiations. /Height 2192 Dont ever approach me again.. Clearly you must understand the difference between a court of law and the court of public opinion. endobj endobj "I received a text message from an Aberdeen attorney -- who i'll just leave as anonymous at this point --it said, 'I just talked with Marty on your case, hope that is OK, may I call you to be an intermediary directly with him to have no appeals?' A couple years ago I was visiting friends in RC and overheard a group at the next table making fun of the women there. LOCATION. That afternoon, Black surreptitiously met with Erickson, Bahr, and Lunzman in a park. endobj WebThe South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources believes in building, developing, and supporting a high-performing and healthy workforce. << The Court must still decide front pay, which is wage loss post-trial, and attorneys fees. Most importantly Laura has the truth on her side. Zylstra-Kaiser is doing the right thing by exposing them all. We will not be silenced. I hope my experience can give strength to other victims of sexual harassment. WebClass Title: DCI Special Agent III Class Code: 688804 Pay Grade: L6 _____ A. I am also well aware that the large majority of males are not sexual criminals. Im not sympathetic to the cry of males being picked on.. MC, how often do you talk with your male friends about the need to strengthen sex crimes laws, make sure all the rape kits get tested, put more money into child protection, really go after dead beat dads, etc? Mrs Kaiser is in fact Rep Dan Kaisers wife, a noted male Republican, who obviously supports her. 3 0 obj Child abuse cases ought to have the same standard. Do any of you know the complex and exhausting process Laura Kaiser had to go through before she could actually file this type of complaint in both Federal and State Court? Although she successfully met eight of nine objectives, Plaintiff was involuntarily demoted from Special Agent III to Special Agent II, which resulted in a reduction in her pay. None of the men, including Ross Erickson, were disciplined by DCI or the Brown County Sherriffs Office. That lack of cooperation from her co-workers led to job consequences for Zylstra Kaiser: On December 8, 2011, Assistant Director Dan Satterlee informed Plaintiff she met the WIPs requirements with one exception: she had not rebuilt positive relationships. Little wonder that the misanthropes on the public dole who infest the halls at DCI are thuggish, criminally insane, entitled white guys living under their own rules instead of under the law. She has been through hell and back and she deserves all of our support as she goes forward. When she spoke about her guns, commenting to her that sounds hot; Petting her hair and, on one occasion, putting his arm around her and swaying; When Plaintiff asked for his keys, stating they were in his pocket and she should get them herself; After Plaintiff said her husband would be out of town that weekend, asking her: Should I come over Saturday around 6? and, Having her watch a lewd music video set in a police department [. PLEASE ATTACH THE They were dated back to March. WebThe graph below represents the number of search warrants DCI Special Agents participated in from 2008 through 2011. I think it important we look at the big picture and the intricate timeline that comes into place with Lauras sexual harassment lawsuit and the criminal acts by the same state players in the Schwab Taliaferro malicious prosecution case. TFeJxXop(I#Z,k^Uv "A@'(''C6eRE .Qn4vL*2{i}SaeaXCYzoKmw7'}jgaL@gWan7T4('9|K,"-w^l. Weighing onZylstra Kaisers mind, though, was a 2005 experience in which shehad reported another co-worker for sexual harassmentand gotten the wrong response from the boss: Her then-supervisor, Assistant Director Brian Zeeb, said her complaint could be seen as a sign of weakness and made a comment along the lines of, In the future, if you want a promotion or transfer to a new duty station, some may see this incident as your inability to get along with others. Rather than undertaking an investigation, Zeeb forced her to confronther harasser. Kaiser said she's not sure what Jackley's role in her settlement was, but believes blame for the delay partially falls on him. DCI said they didn't have it. JOB DETAILS. ", Lucas Kaster, one of Kaisers attorneys, stated: We are very happy for Laura. POSTED ON 6/23/2022 AVAILABLE BEFORE 12/22/2022. Then comes Brown County Deputy Ross Erickson: In or about August 2011, Brown County Deputy Ross Erickson was assigned to the Drug Task Force. But MC, I am inclined to think that the more to the story may well follow the lines that Shirley and David lay out for us. "It was communicated to my attorneys that there had been a storm and part of a roof came off a building so Bryan Gortmaker is not available," Kaiser said. I also tried to initiate the Commencement of Proceedings for the Removal of Law Enforcement Officer upon written complaint of a citizen of the State (SDCL 3-17-6) with Service and Notice to SD Attorney General of the Waiver of Sovereign Immunity (SDCL 21-32-18) of the Defendant, but a corrupt Judge in Beadle County illegally prevented the Clerk of Courts from filing it. Were anticipating special agent openings in all investigative areas across the state, so learn more about what it means to be a DCI Special Agent and how you can apply by visiting http://ow.ly/WcWn50Ii1XtSee more x3>J, .$Sku4ftRQJ~}9NdHq.qP/zixl~omw77DH?cI,(RV/{~,HAI56i%R,LW|R//7,XEZ!o@%BCW%rQ5IY\FrR},X@%YtLs6IEE$Q$ YYZwLwK/woUJm7rwznh?h-;o yGH-S$$O"hIc Box 127 Lake Andes, SD 57356 Telephone: 605-487-7645 Attorney for Plaintiff and Appellant ______________________ Robert B. Anderson May, Adam, Gerdes & Thompson P.O. >> Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. She lost her dream job and her career because she stood up for what is right. I asked my friends if what they thought about the other table. Women are not perfect. They are innocent until proven guilty based on a preponderance of the evidence. Did you know the U of MN has a very active police force of their own to try and fight back all the horrible crimes that are occurring on that campus? We need to get Gortmaker, Black, Erickson, and Jackley speaking on the record to what happened. The DCI will get its day in court, but the question is how to give many other apparent miscreants their day in court. @Roger Cornelius Curious when you did your nation wide survey that supports your asinine assertion? 1 0 obj >> q Demented Criminal Infantile for their acronym. Its extremely rare that I hear women made fun of or harassed here. It is easy to figure out, the men all have the same story so they must be right and the lady a lunatic out to ruin their careers. Lauras complaint will be heard in both South Dakota Federal and State court proceedings. Black attempted to shift the blame to Plaintiff and began ignoring her. Clark bemoans an America moving forward under a black Democratic president but supports the criminal actions of Denny Daugaard in a crime-ridden, disease-prone chemical toilet like South Dakota: how bipartisan. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Support South Dakotas best independent journalism: donate to. Kaiser asked Black not to tell anyone about what she was relaying. They will never be trusted again. /Filter /DCTDecode WebDivision of Criminal Investigation Welcome to the DCI Website. D-D$3I20eV&,$~ n. WebDCI Special Agent I or II State of South Dakota South Dakota, United States 3 weeks ago Be among the first 25 applicants See who State of South Dakota has hired for this role St~|AJtSZ]l!YBY?$@,!U82XV{/p*6)aPV%l[#gX[G|H5>>&AIX%q.&F%fF7vM4}"~W2(/:>)cS| a. Males need to change other males. there are appealable issues, but he has final say.'". Imagine Marty Jackley complying with a federal judge to hand over DCI emails, people. It happens everyday all over this country, yet when republicans face heat they yell there is another side to this story (without telling it) or that the perp must be proven guilty. The only thing left is for involuntary sex reassignment. I once saw a group of about a dozen DCI agents called from all over the state to testify at a trial as they arrived and gathered in a courthouse lobby. Both grievances were denied. DCI then conducted an investigation focused on Kaiser, accusing her of fabricating allegations as a trust test and placed her on a Work Improvement Plan just a few days later. "At that time the DCI attorney said they didn't have any money to pay me," Kaiser said. 609.5 0.0 0.0 789.1 1.3 1.4 cm This lawsuit, wherever it leads, provides another window on the corruption that oozes from every crevice in state government, Benda, EB-5, the GEAR UP matter, and much other business the current regime in Pierre is involved in. /ProcSet 6 0 R Following a five-day trial in Aberdeen, South Dakota, a six-person jury returned a $1.2 million dollar verdict in favor of former South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation agent, Laura Zylstra-Kaiser.