Prison Officials Placed On Administrative Leave Following Investigation by
South Dakota Department of CorrectionsNews
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Secretary of Corrections Mike Leidholt and State Penitentiary Warden Darin Young are on leave following a human resources investigation into an anonymous complaint. Governor Kristi Noem made the move on Tuesday.
“My top priority as governor is keeping South Dakotans safe, and that includes the men and women who work at the State Penitentiary and those who are confined there,” said Governor Noem in a release.
The complaint alleges sexual harassment goes unaddressed in the prison system.
Secretary of Corrections Mike Leidholt and State Penitentiary Warden Darin Young are on leave following a human resources investigation into an anonymous complaint. Governor Kristi Noem made the move on Tuesday.
“My top priority as governor is keeping South Dakotans safe, and that includes the men and women who work at the State Penitentiary and those who are confined there,” said Governor Noem in a release.
“There have been many instances where [Officers In Charge] have taken advantage of their position by attempting to persuade employees sexually,” the complaint says. “Many of these instances have ben taken to the chain of command, only to be completely ignored. The sexual harassment for one individual may stop, but they just move on to the next.”
SDPB
Secretary of Corrections Mike Leidholt and State Penitentiary Warden Darin Young are on leave following a human resources investigation into an anonymous complaint. Governor Kristi Noem made the move on Tuesday.
This and more in today’s SDPB News Podcast. Find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify today.
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By Cory Allen Heidelberger on 2021-07-14
So the state fails to give State Penitentiary guards enough pay and support, and the Governor suspends the Warden and the Corrections Secretary?
An anonymous complaint circulated among correctional officers in May prompted Governor Kristi Noem to announce last night that she is putting State Penitentiary Warden Darin Young and Secretary of Corrections Mike Leidholt on administrative leave:
At approximately 7:00 pm Central time tonight, Governor Noem was briefed on a summary of an internal review conducted by the South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources that was prepared as part of an investigation following an anonymous complaint. A copy of the anonymous complaint can be found here.