Official arrested, accused of breaking open records law
Posted October 18, 2019 11:19 am.
SELBY, S.D. — A county auditor has been arrested on charges alleging that she violated South Dakota’s open meetings laws, which one news association official believes could be a first for the state.
State’s Attorney James Hare issued an arrest warrant last week for Walworth County Auditor Rebecca Krein after he received a complaint that she had failed to make documents available for an Aug. 6 meeting.
Krein is charged with a misdemeanour that carries a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail. She declined to comment when reached by the Argus-Leader, citing advice from her lawyer.
By law, South Dakota government entities have to make documents available to the public when they are used during official meetings.
David Bordewyk, the executive director of the South Dakota Newspaper Association, told the Leader that it’s likely the first time a public official has been arrested in the state for violating open meeting laws, which were drafted in 1965.
“I don’t think it’s ever happened,” Bordewyk said. “This would be a first.”
Hare said the county has had a serious problem of failing to follow public meeting and record laws, including failing to post agendas on time or making meeting minutes available. That has bred mistrust of county government among some residents, he said.
“It was chronic,” Bordewyk said. “You don’t want the people coming into meetings with pitchforks and torches creating havoc. Give the people what they want.”
___
Information from: Argus Leader, http://www.argusleader.com
The Associated Press
