Attorney Jackley Announces Wagner Man Pleads Guilty, Sentenced for Threatening Public Officials

WAGNER, SD (MITCHELLNOW) South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says a Wagner man has pleaded guilty but is mentally ill and has been convicted of threatening two state officials.

Jason Shields, 40, pleaded guilty Friday in Charles Mix County Court to one count of threatening the governor and one count of threatening a judge. The charges were filed in October 2022.

Prosecutors had sought a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for Shields. Shields was sentenced to five years in prison on each count and given tax credit for 614 days already served. The entire prison sentence was suspended and he was placed on probation for four years.

The court based its decision on Senate Bill 70, approved by the South Dakota Legislature in 2013, which determined that probation should be presumptive for nonviolent offenders. Prosecutors argued that Shields posed a danger to the community and was not entitled to presumptive probation.

“Threatening the governor and a judge is a serious offense that will be prosecuted,” said Attorney General Jackley. “The use of Senate Bill 70 in this manner speaks to the need for the next legislature to consider changes to the presumptive probation law.”

The South Dakota Highway Patrol and the Charles Mix County Sheriff's Office were the first to respond to the threats. The case was handled by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the Wagner Police Department and the Charles Mix County Sheriff's Office.

The prosecution was conducted by the Attorney General's Office.