State says six inmates injured in fights at prison in Springfield

Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield on July 10, 2024. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

SPRINGFIELD — The South Dakota Department of Corrections says six inmates were hurt at a prison in Springfield following an overnight bout of unrest.

Agency spokesman Michael Winder said Wednesday morning that the inmates suffered “non-life-threatening” injuries in fighting that began Tuesday evening at Mike Durfee State Prison .

His emailed message said “several inmates” were involved in the fighting, but did not elaborate on how many, where they may have been in the facility or what sparked the fighting.

Winder also said some DOC staff “suffered minor injuries while acting quickly to restore order.”

“There were no assaults on staff, no loss of facility operations, and no damage to property,” he wrote.

Winder’s email did not specify if any of the injured inmates were taken to outside medical facilities for treatment.

Eleven penitentiary inmates charged for March disturbances

A social media post Tuesday night from the editor of the Springfield Times newspaper, Alex Bochman, showed emergency vehicles parked outside the prison. Bochman reported hearing the sound of alarms and inmates shouting from inside.

Tea Storm Chasers, a media outlet in southeast South Dakota that focuses on public safety, reported Tuesday evening that multiple agencies responded to the incident, and that ambulances were seen outside the facility.

At 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Winder sent another email verifying that a second fight broke out in the morning after the initial incident was over. DOC staff “responded immediately and restored order,” he wrote.

He said the DOC will continue to investigate both fights, and that “any criminal activity that is identified” would be referred to the state Division of Criminal Investigation.

The Springfield Living Center nursing home had a sign on its door through the afternoon saying that visitors are welcome to call for entry, but that the doors would remain locked “due to the situation at the prison.”

On Wednesday morning and through the afternoon, inmates yelled at reporters from their cell windows. One shouted that an inmate had died as a result of the fighting and said “20-plus inmates have been hospitalized.”

They also said the prison wasn’t staffed well enough to manage the fighting, that they’re not receiving adequate medical care or mental health care, and that they’ve lost recreation time and access to phones.

“We don’t feel safe,” an inmate said.

Others blamed DOC Secretary Kellie Wasko for the trouble, and said “they don’t want anybody to know what’s going on in here.”

“They’re telling us not to talk to y’all right now,” one man said.

South Dakota Searchlight has sent some of the inmates’ claims to Winder but has not yet received a response or been able to independently verify the inmates’ claims.

Bon Homme County Sheriff Mark Maggs arrived on the scene at around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. He did not ask reporters to step away from the fence between the inmates’ dorm-style hall, but asked that they not say anything to “rile them up.”

Maggs said his deputies were on scene from 10:30 p.m. until about 2:30 a.m. to help maintain a secure perimeter. No deputies went inside the facility, he said, but their patrolling allowed the DOC’s regular perimeter security staff to help out inside.

“Obviously, this put a lot of strain on their staffing,” Maggs said.

Deputies returned at around 8 a.m. to check on the situation.

Maggs’ office has a memorandum of understanding with the state to provide mutual aid for the prison when needed. Maggs, who started as a deputy with Bon Homme County in 2013, said this week’s troubles mark the first time the state has asked for help under that agreement since he’s been working for the sheriff’s office.

The incident is the second acknowledged bout of unrest behind state prison walls in the space of four months.

A multi-day incident in March at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls saw at least one correctional officer injured, and ultimately resulted in felony charges for 11 inmates .

The unrest in Sioux Falls came after the DOC opted to shut down tablet-based communications for inmates at all state prisons. Gov. Kristi  Noem said inmates had been using the devices for “nefarious purposes.” Neither the governor nor the DOC have offered further details on the alleged activity.

Inmates and their families said the decision unfairly punished them for the actions of a few.

Inmates inside East Hall, the building where the March incidents in Sioux Falls took place, could be heard yelling “we want phones” and “we have rights” on the second night of unrest.

The director of the South Dakota State Employees Organization told South Dakota Searchlight the loss of tablet communications was the spark for that situation, but that lax security policies had emboldened inmates and put staff at risk.

The DOC reopened phone calls in late March, but put new restrictions in place. Calls can be placed from the contractor-provided tablets or using wall phones, but inmates are now limited to five calls a day, with a maximum of 20 minutes per call.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated since its initial publication with additional details.

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