SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Six people are facing charges from five different cases involving inmates and Department of Corrections staff members, according to a news release from the South Dakota Attorney General’s office.
Department of Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko told state lawmakers Wednesday about indictments being filed on Tuesday involving former DOC staffers.
“We have some bad apples,” Wasko told lawmakers while discussing agency performance and measures.
The two former staffers include a former DOC nurse and a former DOC medication aide.
Alexis Hiller, 27, of Sioux Falls, is a former DOC nurse facing drug charges along with an intent to deliver an “unauthorized article” to an inmate from or near Jan. 31, 2024.
Madyson Bixby, 21, of Sioux Falls, is a former DOC medication aide who faces charges of conspiracy to second-degree arson and one charge or possession of an unauthorized article.
Additional cases include inmate Tyler Larvie, 28, facing nine counts of drug possession and conspiracy to commit arson from Jan. 2024, inmate Seth Peplinski, 24, facing a charge of aggravated assault and simple assault on May 6, 2024, and inmate Kelly Irby, 65, facing charges of possession of a weapon by an inmate (blade).
No court appearances have been scheduled yet. In March, additional law enforcement responded to the South Dakota State Penitentiary for what Wasko called “a disturbance” which included a staff assault.
In July, six inmates were injured from an inmate fight.
This is a developing story.
