Sioux Falls Police patch and badge.
SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO.com) — South Dakota’s parole system is broken. That’s the opinion of Sioux Falls Mayor Paul Tenhaken following this week’s shooting of a local police officer. Darren Richards and Loretta Bettelyoun were arrested in the case. Both were out on parole at the time.
They’re accused of robbing a local business while holding a gun to the head of a victim. The officer who was shot saw Bettelyoun walking in the area near the business that had been robbed and tried to question her, but she fled. He gave chase and followed her into what turned out to be an ambush. Richards allegedly shot the officer several times. The officer managed to get back to his patrol car, where a fellow officer administered life-saving first aid.
Police Chief Jon Thum and Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead agree. At a news conference both expressed frustration with what Milstead calls “the revolving door” of the state’s pardons and parole process. Both have spoken frequently about the problem, saying it adds expense and danger to the city and the county. Chief Thum lamented the fact that he has had to make Emergency Room visits to officers who have been shot by parolees twice over the last 13 months. The injured officer is recovering from his wounds.
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