Former DCI agent Laura Zylstra Kaiser says the state of South Dakota delayed paying her $1.5 million settlement, following a lawsuit over workplace sexual harassment. 2007 SD 99 - South Dakota 7 0 obj Kaiser then confronted Erickson one-on-one and asked him to stop the harassment. stream St~|AJtSZ]l!YBY?$@,!U82XV{/p*6)aPV%l[#gX[G|H5>>&AIX%q.&F%fF7vM4}"~W2(/:>)cS| a. <>>> There is nothing in our legal system that says the public can not scrutinize public cases and come to our own conclusions. Plaintiff approached Erickson on or about October 18, 2011 and explained that she was not comfortable with his sexually-oriented comments. WebOur special agents are full-spectrum criminal investigators, handling all manners of felony-level criminal activity. The language of the settlement agreement states the following: The payment will be made by delivering the checks to Kaisers attorneys so that the checks are in their hands no sooner than May 21, 2018, but in no event later than June 8, 2018. Plaintiff was reassigned to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in Pierre, South Dakota, over 150 miles from Aberdeen, effective January 3, 2012. The latest Tweets from South Dakota DCI (@SouthDakotaDCI). Kaiser successfully completed eight of the nine objectives of the plan, one of which required her to undergo a psychological evaluation. This lawsuit, wherever it leads, provides another window on the corruption that oozes from every crevice in state government, Benda, EB-5, the GEAR UP matter, and much other business the current regime in Pierre is involved in. In the meantime, let us all take a breath, put politics and rhetoric aside, and support this courageous young lady. Agent Kaisers accusations are credible to me. WebThis week, we welcomed a new Special Agent to the Division of Criminal Investigation family! WebThe South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is accepting applications for DCI Special Agent I or II at this time. % We will not be silenced. WebAbout us. Lastly, Lauras lawsuit is about sexual harassment, discrimination, intimidation and the retaliation that followed after she tried to report it. 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. 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. Dci Special Agent Did you know the U of MN has a very active police force of their own to try and fight back all the horrible crimes that are occurring on that campus? South 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. VY9H~d&D#iu.QUCoHB(L}~JOI:xw9x0Gh=,~]\c"r-)o!Jx_%1+^Iy$UYXc,WE "My attorney made three attempts to contact the DCI attorney on different days -- no response. Then, her lawyer continued to attempt to contact the DCI attorney without response. D-D$3I20eV&,$~ n. Preston Johnson, Special Agent E-mail: preston.johnson@oig.hhs.gov US Department of Health and Human Services, OIG . yeah, this is pretty much how sexual harassment is handled in this state, right grudz? DCI Agent A friendly little safety reminder-dont play around pitchforks and torches. Sioux Falls, SD . << WebSTATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA CLASS SPECIFICATION Class Title: DCI Special Agent II Class Code: 688802 Pay Grade: L5 _____ A. Why South Dakotans stand for it remains a mystery. 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. Special Agents et al, No. Demented Criminal Infantile for their acronym. STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA CLASS SPECIFICATION With no other option, Kaiser resigned from DCI on May 8, 2012. PLEASE ATTACH THE That seems to be SOP for the DCI for a while now. WebTo apply for a position as a DCI Special Agent, follow these steps: Complete the online application Complete the Personal Data Questionnaire Complete and sign the April 15 came and went and after multiple unreturned emails regarding the settlement agreement in April, Kaiser's lawyer was eventually told Jackley had been unavailable because he'd been in Washington, D.C. for the previous two weeks. My country ranch church in northwest SD was like that. "When I looked at this, I thought it was odd because in my lawsuit, Laura Zylstra Kaiser versus Bryan Gortmaker that was my lawsuit. Cops lives suck. Incremental steps have been taken to give the victim a little better chance. He said, she said, with the DCI boys holding the stay out of trouble card in the form of shared talking points. WebDivision of Criminal Investigation Welcome to the DCI Website. JFIF Ms. Geelsdottir, I support all those things. Child abuse cases ought to have the same standard. 1 0 obj Near the end of February, Kaiser and her lawyer made a verbal agreement with the DCI attorney. Kaiser told the texter all negotiations would continue to go through her Minneapolis-based attorney. 'GE%ueEy Z"*L>O ;FVIL$E ^tjx%|{/&,8px%q|A`;%)e9SO8w% Most importantly Laura has the truth on her side. DCI Agent Finalist For National Award In August 2011, Kaiser was ranked as meets or exceeds in every job category. An anatomy of the dysfunction under which so much of state government operates. Lauras complaint will be heard in both South Dakota Federal and State court proceedings. The case is titled, Laura Zyltra Kaiser v. Bryan Gortmaker, in his Official Capacity as South Dakota Director of the Division of Criminal Investigation, 15-CV-1030. You do not have to be silent and you should not be in fear of speaking up. WebBrett D Spencer worked as a Dci Special Agent III for the State of South Dakota and in 2020 had a reported pay of $35.02 and a pay frequency of hourly according to public records. <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Nor is it about what is happening at the University of Minnesota. She lost her dream job and her career because she stood up for what is right. 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 will be difficult to defend Black and anyone who tries to use his words and actions as credible evidence. But in this lawsuit it says 'Marty Jackley, in his official capacity as Attorney General for the State of South Dakota and Marty Jackley personally.' Maybe its the places I go or the people I know. <>>> Kaiser went before reporters this afternoon to set the record straight, she said, because Attorney General Marty Jackley is accusing her and her lawyers, as well as Rep. Kristi Noem (R-South Dakota) of conspiring against him in his bid for governor. << Thats hard to find in SD. DCI Following trial, Kaiser commented: "I would like to thank the jury for their time and for giving me justice. It boggles my mind that adult males would behave that way. I have had numerous interactions with various DCI agents over the past 40 years. Purpose: Supervises Division of /Type /XObject 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. The DCI will get its day in court, but the question is how to give many other apparent miscreants their day in court. On information and belief, Plaintiff is the only agent who has ever been transferred against her wishes[Complaint, 2015.09.23]. <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Its extremely rare that I hear women made fun of or harassed here. '!kcE!>{=C9Cv G4]mY01I&Em@6cR1d>!B u Kaiser asked Black not to tell anyone about what she was relaying. Kaiser was transferred to Pierre, demoted from Special Agent III to Special Agent II and moved to a less desirable position. If we blogged about every one of those crimes it would be 100 times the volume of blogging that Mr. H can issue forth. It looks like an impossible trial to get a verdict. I asked my friends if what they thought about the other table. %PDF-1.5 South Dakota Attorney General During the chain of events, Jackley's name was replaced on the agreement with, "elected and appointed officials," and then to Craig Ambach, the Director of the Office of Risk Management for the state. Explore a Career with the South Dakota State Government Cam Corey - Supervisory Special Agent - South Dakota Plaintiff thanked Black for his support and asked him not to tell anyone about her difficulties with Erickson. Web[1.] Then comes Brown County Deputy Ross Erickson: In or about August 2011, Brown County Deputy Ross Erickson was assigned to the Drug Task Force. #Bh@*Jpi\uRML)p\;SuS(dO}Ziq.!n1+*T82 ,sV2 #/R9iN6]I#[v`L?K[oWC^3Ch+z;nc. I also tried to initiate the Commencement of Proceedings for the Removal of Law Enforcement Officer upon written complaint of a citizen of the State (SDCL 3-17-6) with Service and Notice to SD Attorney General of the Waiver of Sovereign Immunity (SDCL 21-32-18) of the Defendant, but a corrupt Judge in Beadle County illegally prevented the Clerk of Courts from filing it. 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. box 160 Pierre, SD 57501 Telephone: 605-224-8803 Attorneys for Defendant and Appellee _____________________ Our attorneys are zealous advocates committed to fighting for the justice our clients deserve.