Davison County felony court cases for Aug. 27 (2024)

MITCHELL — The following cases were among those heard Tuesday, August 27, during a circuit court session at the Davison County Public Safety Center, with Judge Chris Giles presiding:

• Melvin Clifford, 50, of Mitchell, appeared for a 24/7 violation. He was held for 48 hours for missing a scheduled test. Clifford was on probation for a second-offense Driving Under the Influence (DUI).
• Danielle Young, 41, of Sioux Falls, pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary, a Class 5 felony. The charge of grand theft for more than $1,000 and less than $2,500, a Class 6 felony, was dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Young was sentenced to five years in prison with one year suspended. She was also ordered to pay restitution of $1,584.52. She received credit for 109 days served in jail. In a separate case, Young pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine, a Class 5 felony. The charges of use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor; unauthorized ingestion of a controlled substance, a Class 5 felony; and possession of prescription/non-prescription drugs or controlled substance, a Class 4 felony, were all dismissed as part of the plea agreement. In this matter, Young was sentenced to five years in prison with all five years suspended.
• Brayan Duran-Escobar, 18, of Mitchell, had an attorney appointed to represent him for fourth-degree rape involving a victim between 13 and 16 years old. This is a Class 3 felony, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. Duran-Escobar will be arraigned Sept. 10.
• Isaac Brown, 32, of Sioux Falls, had an attorney appointed to represent him for use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor; and possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), a Class 5 felony, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Brown will be arraigned Sept. 10.
• Alexandrea Gingrich, 29, of Baltic, had an attorney appointed to represent her for use or possession of drug paraphernalia and impersonation to deceive law enforcement officer, both misdemeanors; and possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), a Class 5 felony, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Gingrich will be arraigned Sept. 10.
• Carole Taylor, 43, of Mitchell, was granted a continuance of her case. Taylor is facing a charge of domestic abuse aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a Class 3 felony, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. A status hearing was set for Sept 10.
• LaVetta Davis, 39, of Mitchell, was granted a four-week continuance in connection to an unauthorized ingestion of a controlled drug/substance (methamphetamine) charge, a Class 5 felony, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. An October jury trial is scheduled.
• Alfred Walters, 53, of Mitchell, had charges of use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor; and possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) dismissed. Walters was serving probation for a 2022 possession of a controlled substance charge. His attorney, Cole Morgan, stated that Walters had used methamphetamine to treat his glaucoma.Judge Giles informed Walters that while uncommon for someone on probation, it is possible to obtain approval for medical marijuana to treat his condition. Giles advised Walters to pursue this through proper legal channels. Walters' two-year probation period was ordered to restart.
• Darious Johnson, 35, of Sioux Falls, requested a furlough for treatment at the Glory House. Due to non-compliance with parole, the judge denied the furlough. Johnson is facing charges of no driver's license, use or possession of drug paraphernalia, traffic in/substitute plates, possession of two ounces of marijuana or less, all misdemeanors; aggravated eluding, a Class 6 felony; possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), grand theft of more than $2,500 but less than $5,000, both a class 5 felony; and grand theft in the amount of more than $5,000 but less than $100.000, a Class 4 felony. A December jury trial is scheduled.
• Mason Means, 26, of Mitchell, had a new attorney appointed to represent him for charges of littering, open alcoholic beverage container accessible in vehicle, resisting an officer, failure to stop/accident causing property damage, first-offense Driving Under the Influence (DUI), all misdemeanors; third-offense Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and grand theft in the amount of more than $1,000 but less than $2,500, both a Class 6 felony.
• Gerald Chernotik, 55, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to second-degree petty theft for less than $400, a misdemeanor; and first-degree burglary, a Class 2 felony, which carries up to 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Chernotik has had three 24/7 program violations. Chernotik was granted a PR bond but he must comply with the 24/7 program. A December jury trial is scheduled.
• ocky Straw, 51, of Colome, failed to appear for a charge of third-offense Driving Under the Influence (DUI), a Class 6 felony, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $4,000 fine. A $1,000 cash bond bench warrant was issued. Prior to this felony charge, Straw was already facing a series of misdemeanor charges that included an open alcoholic beverage container accessible in vehicle, driving without a driver’s license, and first and second-offense DUI.
• Courtney Brown, 38, of Sioux Falls, pleaded not guilty to first-degree petty theft in the amount of more than $400, a misdemeanor; and identity theft, a Class 6 felony, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $4,000 fine. Brown is currently serving time at the South Dakota Women’s Prison in Pierre and is facing charges in other counties. A PR bond was granted. A December jury trial is scheduled.
• Anna Gardner, 48, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to charges of grand theft for more than $100,000 but less than $500,000, a Class 3 felony, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine; and destroy, disable, inhibits access computer as part of deception, a Class 2 felony, which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. A $10,000 bond was set. A December jury trial is scheduled.
• Dorothy Hansen, 44, of Mitchell, admitted to a probation violation. According to court documents, Hansen has multiple violations, which include testing positive for alcohol, failing to maintain contact with court services, and failing to comply with mental health and medication treatments. Hansen was serving probation for domestic abuse simple assault, a Class 6 felony. Hansen was sentenced to two years in prison. She received credit for 126 days served in jail.
• Courtney Brink, 47, of Mitchell, was sentenced to 60 days in jail with 60 days suspended for first-degree petty theft for more than $400, a misdemeanor. She was also ordered to pay $256.09 in restitution. According to court documents, Brink misappropriated $2,000 raised for the Mitchell Head Start program during a Cruzin for a Cause event in August 2023. Of this amount, she purchased $343.91 worth of items for Head Start with proper documentation. An additional $256.09 was spent on items deemed unacceptable for the program. The remaining funds were used for personal purposes. To rectify the situation, Brink borrowed $1,400 from her sister and brother-in-law. She then returned $1,743.91 to Head Start, a combination of cash and receipts for approved purchases.
• Raeann Witt, 42, of Rapid City, failed to appear on charges of use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor; andpossession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), a Class 5 felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine; Court issued a $1,000 cash bond bench warrant.
• Bonnie Slesarik, 24, of Peoria, Arizona, pleaded not guilty to charges of use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor; andpossession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), a Class 5 felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. A December jury trial is scheduled.
• Jonathon Fortney, 30, of Mitchell, pleaded guilty to domestic abuse simple assault, a misdemeanor. Fortney was sentenced to 94 days in jail with 90 days suspended. He received credit for four days already served. A charge of child abuse, a Class 4 felony, was dismissed as part of the plea agreement. According to an arrest affidavit, Fortney allegedly choked and hit a 9-year-old victim for causing the water to be cold when Fortney was showering. A witness also told authorities that Fortney has forced the victim to do “strenuous workouts” when the victim “acts out.” Court documents say the victim has ADHD and other disorders.

Jennifer Leither joined the Mitchell Republic in April 2024. She was raised in Sioux Falls, S.D. where she attended Lincoln High School. She continued her education at South Dakota State University, graduating in December 2000 with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. During her time in college, Leither worked as a reporter for the campus newpaper, The Collegian. She also interned for Anderson Publications in Canistota, SD the summer of 2000. Upon graduation, Leither continued to reside in the Sioux Falls area and worked as a freelance writer for the Argus Leader for a number of years.
/jennifer-leither

Get Local

'; let script = document.createElement("script"); script.setAttribute("data-widget-type", "featured_jobs"); script.setAttribute("src", "//widgets.recruitology.com/scripts/" + jobshqID +".js"); document.getElementById("jobsHQ-hotjobs-list").appendChild(script); } } init()