<> I have had numerous interactions with various DCI agents over the past 40 years. /Resources 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. /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB We believe the both in front of me were our individual cases. HB 1221: Free School Meals for Every Student in South Dakota! >> }1-"y, b.|7h" i>1d&1 I wish Laura well with her lawsuit as this has been a long and exhausting road for her and her family. She seeks, among other things, a jury trial, compensatory relief and damages arising from loss of past and future income, benefits, emotional distress, and other damages, with interest on such amounts, and punitive damages in an amount in excess of $75,000, and lawyer fees. stream Kaiser told Erickson to stop, but his comments persisted. Web7 Enforcement Agent jobs available in South Dakota on Indeed.com. The coincidence of the administrative attack on Zylstra Kaiser and the legal attack on Schwab, Taliaferro, and the Mette children suggests a connection, a multi-front push by Brown County an DCI to shut down potentially damaging lawsuits. No. Then in April 2012, DCI removed Kaisers state vehicle, told her she could no longer travel from Aberdeen to Pierre on state time, removed her daily stipend, and told her that she could no longer sleep at the police academy barracks in Pierre, where she slept during the week because her family could not afford a second home. Since 2005, SA Corey has been with the South Dakota Office of Attorney General in the 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.) Sioux Falls, SD . 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? It looks like an impossible trial to get a verdict. Asking Were you horny when you were pregnant?; Saying Go ahead and walk away, because I am going to stare at your ass the whole time; Texting her to ask what color underwear she was wearing; Stating it was a good thing she was not single because otherwise he would hit on her all the time; Remarking that Plaintiff looked hot when she wore glasses. A South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation agent is up for a national award, but he needs your help. 4 0 obj << Remember, her life will be an open book before they would get through, and those low lifes arent just setting around playing racehorse pitch. Indeed, we are reading here only the complaint. The only way this will ever before a jury is if Ms. Zylstra Kaiser asks for more than Marty is willing to pay: its just that simple. WebThe South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is accepting applications for DCI Special Agent I or II at this time. More Highway Patrol Trooper South Dakota State Government Kaiser successfully completed eight of the nine objectives of the plan, one of which required her to undergo a psychological evaluation. 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. Later in the week, Kaiser received another agreement with a payment date of June 8. endobj What a filthy, nasty man! Plaintiff considered his offer but decided she would speak to Erickson herself. It appears the DCI & AG offices are incapable of investigating themselves, much less being trusted to know what right looks like, then do it. LOCATION. Phone: (605) 330-4862 . She says shereceived positive performance reviews through mid-2011, when she says her mid-year evaluation praised her for her exceptional work product, ability to work amicably with other DCI agents and members of her task force, relentless work, and above-average case activity.. She was living away from her husband and baby. Popular Locations. Cops lives suck. 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. Erickson acknowledged his comments were inappropriate, apologized, and said he would not make any such comments in the future [Complaint, 2015.09.23]. MC, the deck continues to be stacked in favor of the rapist/molester/harasser. 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. But MC, I am inclined to think that the more to the story may well follow the lines that Shirley and David lay out for us. They got both in front of me., Erickson: Stick with me Ill take you to the promised land.. We have a woman who is making some very serious allegations against a group of men. 7 0 obj Zylstra Kaiser says she went to work for the DCI Drug Task Force straight out law school in August 2003. Imagine Marty Jackley complying with a federal judge to hand over DCI emails, people. On November 4, 2011, Laura was in Pierre and aware of all of the state player (regarding her case and ours) that were present in Pierre as well. )/ Lastly, Lauras lawsuit is about sexual harassment, discrimination, intimidation and the retaliation that followed after she tried to report it. ", 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. The jury awarded Kaiser $311,812.00 in lost wages, $498,929.00 in lost retirement benefits, and $400,000.00 in emotional distress damages. 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. It boggles my mind that adult males would behave that way. As you look through the sections that describe the duties of the Division of Criminal Investigation, you will notice that we are very busy working in the background to keep South Dakota citizens safe. The jury found that Kaiser suffered retaliation and gender discrimination after she complained of sexual harassment by one of her colleagues in October 2011. WebTimothy R. Whalen, Esq. "I received a text message from an Aberdeen attorney -- who i'll just leave as anonymous at this point --it said, 'I just talked with Marty on your case, hope that is OK, may I call you to be an intermediary directly with him to have no appeals?' Black attempted to shift the blame to Plaintiff and began ignoring her. Following trial, Kaiser commented: "I would like to thank the jury for their time and for giving me justice. Males write the laws in every state and DC. I just do not understand why everyone must make this about politics because it is not. South Dakota has a criminal for a governor just like voters wanted. 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. There are just too many smart capable women in power. Why South Dakotans stand for it remains a mystery. 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. Indeed, Lar. I say so here and now. Not when they intend to use her to send a message. Black complained to DCI supervisors that Kaiser created a hostile work environment. Plaintiff apologized and stated that it was not her intent to have the office know about the issue. Thanks. WebSpecial Agent Cam Corey began his law enforcement career in 1998 as a Deputy Sheriff. 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. WebIn 2018, I began my career as a Special Agent with the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), where I was primarily charged with leading full-spectrum, complex Deb G, I could never see this good olboy mentality happening in MN. MC, a preponderance of evidence shows that kind of behavior is common place. WebSouth Dakota Attorney General Mark Vargo named an interim director of the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation on Tuesday. That seems to be SOP for the DCI for a while now. For the record, I was never contacted or talked to by the AGs office about my criminal complaint and I also heard about the dismissal of my criminal complaint by the AG from news media. 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. stream On information and belief, Plaintiff is the only agent who has ever been transferred against her wishes[Complaint, 2015.09.23]. 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. Clark is pounding sand into our assets. 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.. She now runs her own private investigation company. For Apply. Whalen Law Office, P.C. Lets look at Zylstra Kaisers complaint, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Aberdeen, to learn what thesuit is about. DCI Special Agent I or II. Since 1937, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation has served as the lifeline of support to South Dakotas law enforcement agencies, leading criminal We would have been better off reporting these crimes to the Girl Scouts. WebDCI Special Agent I or II South Dakota State Government Statewide, SD. WebSTATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA CLASS SPECIFICATION Class Title: DCI Special Agent I Class Code: 688801 Pay Grade: L4 _____ A. "When I looked at this, I thought it was odd because in my lawsuit, Laura Zylstra Kaiser versus Bryan Gortmaker that was my lawsuit. 2 0 obj No need for me romanticiz about the DCI, in my relationship with Kevin Thumb there was no love. % Zylstra-Kaiser is doing the right thing by exposing them all. When Zylstra Kaiser pointed out that that Erickson admitted to the conduct, Even chose not to believe her and said he was unhappy with her general work performance. We are South Dakota's premier criminal justice and criminal investigative agency. A jury awarded Kaiser a settlement for sexual harassment and other damages on Dec. 27, 2017 against her former boss, Bryan Gortmaker. On November 4, 2011, (the same day that Black interrogated the Mette children as BrownCounty and the DCIrevved up their attack on Shirley Schwab and Brandon Taliaferro in the Mette child rape case)Even put ZylstraKaiser on a 30-day Work Improvement Plan,the nine tasks of which included submitting to a psychological evaluation, which DCI had linked to her maternity leave even though Plaintiff had returned from leave nearly a year earlier and had received two positive performance reviews and a promotion since then. The WIP also ordered Zylstra Kaiser to rebuild positive relationships with co-workers, supervisors, and managers. Zylstra obeyed, butgotthe cold shoulder from co-workers, including Black, who allegedly told her on November 8, We are done. MC has taken the typical male republican position here, doubt the womans credibility and worry about future of the men involved. /Width 1693 I reported the criminal complaint to Director Gortmaker, Mike Rounds, Dennis Daugaard and Attorney General Marty Jackley. The Childrens Home Society is a front for raising cash just like the Governors Club has been. Jenny, how about Rochester? 5 0 obj WebClass Title: DCI Special Agent III Class Code: 688804 Pay Grade: L6 _____ A. The court of public opinion is different than court of law. FormerDivision of Criminal Investigation special agent Laura Zylstra Kaiser of Aberdeen is suingDCI chief Bryan Gortmaker and former DCI agent Mark Black for hindering her employment. You do not have to be silent and you should not be in fear of speaking up. . Kaiser was represented by James Kaster, Matt Morgan and Lucas Kaster of Nichols Kaster, PLLP in Minneapolis. "It was communicated to my attorneys that there had been a storm and part of a roof came off a building so Bryan Gortmaker is not available," Kaiser said. The deck is so stacked against the accuser. Black then met with Erickson, DCI agent Dave Lunzman and Brown County Sherriffs Deputy Damien Bahr at a local park. I hope my experience can give strength to other victims of sexual harassment. With no other option, Kaiser resigned from DCI on May 8, 2012. I once saw a group of about a dozen DCI agents called from all over the state to testify at a trial as they arrived and gathered in a courthouse lobby. Unbeknownst to Plaintiff, Black told Brown County Deputy Damian Bahr and DCI Agent Dave Lunzman, the only other law enforcement in the Aberdeen office, about Ericksons treatment toward Plaintiff. 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. WebThe graph below represents the number of search warrants DCI Special Agents participated in from 2008 through 2011. 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. Kaiser said she'd been patient and asked for a "good faith payment," of "anything? Zylstra Kaiser filed grievances over the demotion and transferwith Gortmaker and Attorney General Marty Jackley. When called to account, Black allegedly turned against Zylstra Erickson: Later that day, Plaintiff approached Black and asked why he shared her personal information. 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There might be more to the this story than what we see here. demoted from Special Agent III to Special Agent II and moved to a less desirable position. If all of this is true, then they deserve everything they have coming to them. endobj 8 days ago. $.' Demented Criminal Infantile for their acronym. Box 127 Lake Andes, SD 57356 Telephone: 605-487-7645 Attorney for Plaintiff and Appellant ______________________ Robert B. Anderson May, Adam, Gerdes & Thompson P.O.