In the summer of 2011, Ross Erickson from the Brown County Sherriffs office joined the Drug Task Force and began making sexually harassing comments to Kaiser. We will not be silenced. . They greeted each other with an extended ritual of feigned nut-grabbing and knee-lifts-to-groins that would have appeared immature among 10-year-olds, and was performed in front of the county treasurer and auditor windows. Your email address will not be published. Let the defendants defend themselves in a court of law. More Highway Patrol Trooper South Dakota State Government /XObject MC, a preponderance of evidence shows that kind of behavior is common place. This is one of those rare situations where the accused should be guilty until they prove themselves innocent. Comment on blogs in support of these things? Youve already gotten more of my time than I usually give you, sock puppet. I say so here and now. The sentence is always a lifetime sentence of shame. <> I told my attorneys, 'I didn't sue Marty Jackley and i'm not going to enter into a contract with Marty Jackley.'". This law suit may lead the way. This is about corruption in the State of South Dakota and it is because of strong and determined individuals such as Laura Kaiser that this type of unacceptable behavior will finally be exposed for what it is. Purpose: Conducts investigations Maybe its the places I go or the people I know. /Width 1693 A South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation agent is up for a national award, but he needs your help. Zylstra Kaiser filed grievances over the demotion and transferwith Gortmaker and Attorney General Marty Jackley. I looked around to see if anyone was noticing. 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 endobj Unless she has some kind of admissible digital evidence shes screwed. 1 0 obj /Length 8 0 R The paperwork was signed and finalized by the Governors Office of Risk Management on Monday, May 21, 2018. Thats a wonderful policy. Dont ever approach me again.. The total warrants served in 2011 were 401. The original settlement said Kaiser was to be paid by April 1 and no later than April 15. Apply to Correctional Officer, Inventory Associate, Special Agent and more! All you need to know about him is that he is an habitual liar. 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 [. None of the men, including Ross Erickson, were disciplined by DCI or the Brown County Sherriffs Office. On information and belief, and knowing Even would investigate Plaintiffs harassment complaint, Black worked with Erickson, Bahr, and Lunzman to formulate a set of talking points in an effort to have Plaintiff removed from the department or terminated, including planning to state they did not trust Plaintiff, she falsified the harassment to test Blacks trustworthiness, they were unwilling to work with her, and that she was mentally ill and schizophrenic[Complaint, 2015.09.23]. We would have been better off reporting these crimes to the Girl Scouts. The only thing left is for involuntary sex reassignment. endobj Run some stats on ethnic crimes for us, wouldja? Popular Locations. I mostly agree with you Jenny. stream Indeed. We need to get Gortmaker, Black, Erickson, and Jackley speaking on the record to what happened. Women were simply good, important, worthwhile people who were smart and valuable. You slime every other Republican male because MCs nave embracement of the establishment, in his bid to be named as Hickeys replacement? This is so wrong and. To say this lawsuit is about SD Representative Dan Kaiser is merely a distraction to the real story. 7 0 obj When watching the recordings of those interrogation videos, Mark Black can be seen receiving text messages and phone calls (along with occasional breaks while leaving each of the children alone for long periods of time in the cold, scary and isolated rooms) during the entire interrogation process. <> Demented Criminal Infantile for their acronym. Black attempted to shift the blame to Plaintiff and began ignoring her. Hopefully Lauras story, and the jurys verdict, will play a small part in continuing the message that sexual harassment and retaliation cannot be condoned or allowed.. endobj 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. Kaiser told the texter all negotiations would continue to go through her Minneapolis-based attorney. You do not have to be silent and you should not be in fear of speaking up. /BitsPerComponent 8 Most importantly Laura has the truth on her side. DCI Special Agent I or II. A couple years ago I was visiting friends in RC and overheard a group at the next table making fun of the women there. What a filthy, nasty man! box 160 Pierre, SD 57501 Telephone: 605-224-8803 Attorneys for Defendant and Appellee _____________________ Thats hard to find in SD. I asked my friends if what they thought about the other table. View Background Report Sponsored Brett D Spencer 's Record in 2020 Name Brett D Spencer Location South Dakota Phone Ad View phone number Payroll Year 2020 endobj WebClass Title: DCI Special Agent III Class Code: 688804 Pay Grade: L6 _____ A. 2013) case opinion from the District of South Dakota U.S. Federal District Court Yea. 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. Based upon these dates, this settlement was not delayed. Sioux Falls, SD . I have had numerous interactions with various DCI agents over the past 40 years. 4 0 obj While none have involved sexual advances (in either direction), the descriptions of DCI personnel here fit with my observations in general of DCI agents. Then those comments would be taken out of context and used against them. c+g4]AjC`D93P=%OEY&TJ?2m;_e[F(Q\yv|.hxysU-nu#oRmX&{;=e|h=*)X+eZR~,-Erh? Powers spins this story because Dan Kaiser is a constant burr under the establishment machines saddle, and because establishment crony Marty Jackley is running for governor. <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> x[ms6|nb 2I MT?xn^PX`W,W~sW=yUWYv]sl~n/.7gW\=FI,R'Q0g1?YyY0!UG%STK,g|QMiDY@1|0zycW~[+3_YxN1piT67$bZZ ? Since then, Mark Black has stated he never contacted or interviewed by law enforcement or the Attorney Generals office regarding my criminal complaint and only learned about it after the SD AG had dismissed my complaint as reported by news media. $100,000?" 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. Erickson told Kaiser to get keys out of his pocket, described sex with his wife to Kaiser, and asked Kaiser if she was horny when she was pregnant, among others. Your email address will not be published. Zylstra decided to talk about the harassment with fellow Aberdeen agent Mark Black, with whom she had a close relationship. (Remember, this is the same Mark Black who eventually was fired from the DCI following revelations of violent behavior toward his own wife.) 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. As a result of this experience with DCI administration, Plaintiff feared future reports would adversely affect her career [Complaint, 2015.09.23]. Agent Kaisers accusations are credible to me. Black complained to DCI supervisors that Kaiser created a hostile work environment. This case and settlement was handled by the Governors Office of Risk Management and the States insurance company. Sad, really, we were the greatest country on earth, and we cant even get this right. Learn from the gay men. Special Agents et al, No. Erickson said, Thats just the way I am, but Kaiser said that was not acceptable. 0 replies 1 She charges Black with tortious interference, meaning he underminedher contractualrelationship with DCIto cover his backside. WebSTATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA CLASS SPECIFICATION Class Title: DCI Special Agent I Class Code: 688801 Pay Grade: L4 _____ A. Supervisor Jason Even took the mens side immediately, accused Zylstra Kaiser of fabricating the sexual harassment allegations against Erickson, and warned her that the issue could lead to her termination. "At that time the DCI attorney said they didn't have any money to pay me," Kaiser said. At the conclusion of trial, the jury found in favor of Kaiser on both her retaliation and gender discrimination claims. I have personally met with supervisor Jason Even who demonstrated that he was a complete idiot who didnt know the first thing about law enforcement or criminal investigations. DCI Special Agent I or II in South Dakota State Government; Rapid City, SD. 4 0 obj I acknowledge MCs point that there is surely more to the story. It caught my ear because it was so unusual to me. Women and children cant do it. ",#(7),01444'9=82. Kaiser said she did tell Rep. Kristi Noem her story about her experience, but didn't sign or agree to anything official to have it used against Jackley in Noem's campaign, however, "Kristi is free to use it," she said. << The cold, hard, fact remains, males perpetrate more than 90% of the sexual crimes. The circuit court approved the Severson initially came to Centerville on August 18, @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!. 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. My Mother first reported these crimes to agent Joshua Bobzein who was so horrible that I actually had to file a criminal complaint against Bobzein. No. Kaiser appealed the discipline to DCI and eventually to South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, but each of her appeals was denied. '!kcE!>{=C9Cv G4]mY01I&Em@6cR1d>!B u WebTo apply for a position as a DCI Special Agent, follow these steps: Complete the online application Complete the Personal Data Questionnaire Complete and sign the Kaiser was hired by DCI in 2003, and worked for eight years as a special agent on the Drug Task Force, a collaborative team consisting of officers from DCI, the Brown County Sherriffs Office and the Aberdeen Police Department. For D-D$3I20eV&,$~ n. How often do you contact your legislators and Congress people about these issues? >> ", Former DCI agent receives $1.5 million settlement payment after months of delay, DEVELOPING: First responders on the scene at Husets Speedway after incident, Meteorologists Facebook post on grocery dividers sparks wild debate, Police: Two arrested in overnight burglary in Sioux Falls, 1 killed when business jet encounters severe turbulence, Frontier Climbing hosts first climbing competition in South Dakota, Washington Pavilion hosts free event to celebrate agriculture, Embe hosts FIRST LEGO League state championship, Fourth annual Womens Day of Service building hygiene kits. ", Lucas Kaster, one of Kaisers attorneys, stated: We are very happy for Laura. 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. Eventually, she was % In December 2011, following the work improvement plan, DCI informed Kaiser that effective January 3, 2012, she would be demoted from Special Agent III to Special Agent II and transferred to the Medicare Fraud unit in Pierre, South Dakota, away from her husband, Dan, an Aberdeen police officer, and fourteen month old child. Purpose: Conducts or assists with criminal Later in the week, Kaiser received another agreement with a payment date of June 8. Q Jackley said he played no part in Kaiser's settlement, but she said, she's not sure what to believe. If we blogged about every one of those crimes it would be 100 times the volume of blogging that Mr. H can issue forth. Thanks. 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. Brady Folkens ashes should be divided up and ground into the carpets at the governors mansion and at Martys house. /Height 2192 And the U of MN has added the Affirmative Consent Sexual Activity standard. /Type /XObject On information and belief, Black then called Supervisor Jason Even to report Plaintiffs complaints against Erickson and told Even he no longer wanted to work with Plaintiff because he could not trust her. 3 0 obj There will be no trial and South Dakota will settle for an undisclosed amount of cash. My country ranch church in northwest SD was like that. The Court must still decide front pay, which is wage loss post-trial, and attorneys fees. If not, it really doesnt matter, their lives might as well, be over. The language of the settlement agreement states the following: The payment will be made by delivering the checks to Kaisers attorneys so that the checks are in their hands no sooner than May 21, 2018, but in no event later than June 8, 2018. I filed a criminal complaint for Misprision of Felony (SDCL 22-11-12), Obstruction of Justice and Willful Failure to Perform Official Duty (SDCL 3-16-1) regarding: (SDCL 23-3-19) (SDCL 23-3-16) (SDCL 23-3-14) (SDCL 23-3-15) (SDCL 23-3-12) (SDCL 23-3-13) (SDCL 7-16-7) (SDCL 23-3-27) (SDCL 1-12-1) and (SDCL 34-20B-63). In the court of public opinion, the truth doesnt matter, only how it is spun. Kaiser said the DCI attorney met her in Redfield, at his request, to give her the two checks. WebThis week, we welcomed a new Special Agent to the Division of Criminal Investigation family! WebTimothy R. Whalen, Esq. Kaiser successfully completed eight of the nine objectives of the plan, one of which required her to undergo a psychological evaluation. As you look through the sections that describe the duties of the Division of Criminal Investigation, you will notice For a moment,Zylstra thought shed found a supportive ear: Black was supportive offered to speak to Erickson for Plaintiff. WebDivision of Criminal Investigation Welcome to the DCI Website. After the failed communicative efforts, Kaisers attorneys filed an affidavit detailing the communication issues, as well as motions with the court to compel the settlement amount on May 14. I reported the criminal complaint to Director Gortmaker, Mike Rounds, Dennis Daugaard and Attorney General Marty Jackley. MN Attorney General Lori Swanson wouldnt put up with it. They hadnt noticed because it was a routine event. Lets look at Zylstra Kaisers complaint, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Aberdeen, to learn what thesuit is about. Phone: (605) 330-4862 . Anyone believing Marty and the DCI want federal probes of their white boys club is delusional. Jackley's office issued this statement about the delay of Kaiser's settlement on Tuesday: "The State of South Dakota confirms today that the State of South Dakota has finalized the Laura Zylstra Kaiser lawsuit. I have seen situations were women have threaten sexual harassment, to get what what they want. P.O. More Highway Patrol Trooper South Dakota State Government There have been other situations where the woman will start conversation and steer in way to get a man to say something he normally wouldnt. Incremental steps have been taken to give the victim a little better chance. 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. q Almost immediately, he began making sexually explicit comments to Plaintiff, revealing personal information, and making her feel uncomfortable, including, but not limited to: Now the properworkplace response to such behavior is to take this behavior straight to the boss, whose response should be to drop the hammer on the harasser. http://www.childadvocatesdefensefund.com/resources/. "When I looked at this, I thought it was odd because in my lawsuit, Laura Zylstra Kaiser versus Bryan Gortmaker that was my lawsuit. MC-you got your story ass backwards. Maybe it was around in the old day, but not now. <>>> . 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? Im not sympathetic to the cry of males being picked on.. On information and belief, Plaintiff is the only agent who has ever been transferred against her wishes[Complaint, 2015.09.23]. WebSouth Dakota Attorney General Mark Vargo named an interim director of the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation on Tuesday. 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 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. My Mother first reported these Both grievances were denied. << South Dakota DCI @SouthDakotaDCI Jun 4 In May, DCI Agents joined in a ceremony honoring the late Special Agent Tom Matthews Sr. and former Butte County Sheriff Dave Malcolm, who were both slain in the line of duty in 1946. So, the bad guys got away; not because they were clever criminal masterminds, but because of the corruption and incompetence of SD DCI Law Enforcement. Following trial, Kaiser commented: "I would like to thank the jury for their time and for giving me justice. By doing so, it has become clear that on November 4, 2011, Mark Black was given marching orders to get rid of a few individuals who were about the expose the state of wrong doing that would ultimately lead to major lawsuits against the State of SD. WebSouth Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Special Agent James Severson (Severson) to investigate Adamson. Kaiser then confronted Erickson one-on-one and asked him to stop the harassment. Its likely that Mike Clark isnt crazy enough for Daugaard by somebody like Roger Hunt or Allen Unrubb might just be insane enough for Denny. 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. Her DCI supervisors accused her of failing at numerous job categories which just months earlier were graded as meets or exceeds expectations. Thats too bad for SD and a real reason people leave. The four men decided that Kaiser fabricated the sexual harassment allegations as test for Black and decided that they could no longer trust her and refused to work with her. Deb G, I could never see this good olboy mentality happening in MN. We believe the both in front of me were our individual cases. In the 80 year history of DCI, Kaiser said she was just one of two women who were promoted to Special Agent III, the highest level in a non-supervisory role. JOB DETAILS. Kaiser said at that time she signed the agreement. The Director of the Division of Criminal Investigation, Bryan Gortmaker, first received the compromise settlement agreement and release in full of all claims on Friday, May 18, 2018. 'GE%ueEy Z"*L>O ;FVIL$E ^tjx%|{/&,8px%q|A`;%)e9SO8w% 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. I truly doubt it many other individuals would have endured what she has and kept on fighting to get to this point. /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB <>>> Former Division of Criminal Investigation special agent Laura Zylstra Kaiser of Aberdeen is suing DCI chief Bryan Gortmaker and former DCI agent Mark Black for hindering her employment. WebThe graph below represents the number of search warrants DCI Special Agents participated in from 2008 through 2011.
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