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Faith man sentenced to 25 years in fatal crash
• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- A 63-year-old Faith man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for driving drunk on the wrong side of the road in a rural Haakon County crash that killed one woman and injured another.
• Circuit Court Judge Barnett gave Walt Lee Taton the maximum sentence for vehicular homicide and vehicular battery and ordered his license revoked for life.
• The state's attorney's office says Taton was also sentenced to 30 days in the county jail for driving upon the wrong side of the road and one year for driving under the influence.
• Prosecutors say Taton was driving on the wrong side of the road April 28 on Highway 34 in rural Haakon County, resulting in the death of Heather Unser and seriously injuring Sadie Clark.
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New jail on SD reservation to open in January
KRISTI EATON,Associated Press
• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- A new $25 million jail will open on the Rosebud Indian Reservation next month that provides for the cultural and spiritual wellness of tribal members who have been charged with crimes.
• The Rosebud Sioux Tribe Adult Correctional Facility near Mission will house up to 160 male and female inmates, and will include a courtroom for arraignments, classroom space and space for traditional ceremonies, said facility administrator Melissa Eagle Bear. It replaces a smaller facility that doesn't meet safety standards, Eagle Bear said.
• Anyone charged in tribal court with offenses such as underage drinking, domestic assault and robbery could end up at the facility. It will also house those arrested for federal crimes waiting to be picked up by federal officials. Alcohol or drug charges, assaults against adults and domestic abuse were the three most common offenses tried in Rosebud Sioux Tribal Court in 2010.
• Participation in traditional Lakota ceremonies while in custody is not mandatory but could provide important support and guidance, Eagle Bear said.
• "When you're in jail, you've obviously done something wrong or maybe that you shouldn't have, so you're in a place ... a lot of times it's the first time (an inmate is) sober so their mind is a little more clear," Eagle Bear said. "It's a huge reminder of who they are, and a lot of respect comes from the ceremonies."
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