SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The same day the South Dakota Supreme Court released search warrants that identify T. Denny Sanford as the implicated individual in a child pornography investigation, Sanford’s lawyer Marty Jackley said in a statement that the S.D. Attorney General has said the first page of those search warrants contain inaccurate information.
Jackley also points out what Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg said in his Oct. 28 news release, in which Ravnsborg questioned the accuracy of information from anonymous sources that have been providing the information on this investigation.
Ravnsborg said in his Oct. 28 news release that “an August 24, 2021, story published by the Associated Press attributed certain statements to law enforcement officers and the Attorney General. Those anonymous statements are inaccurate and do not properly reflect the position of our Office.”
Here is Jackley’s full statement:
“The Attorney General through his October 28, 2021, press release, has now called into question the accuracy of the anonymous sources that have been providing the information on this investigation. Irrespective of the anonymous sources, what we do know is that an investigation involving search warrants began in December of 2019, and it was thorough in that it included five search warrants. The Attorney General has further acknowledged in the Court filings the headings on the first page of each of the search warrants being released today contain incorrect information. The ultimate fact remains that the investigating authorities have not found information to support criminal charges.”
Marty Jackley, Attorney for Denny Sanford
On Oct. 28 the South Dakota Supreme Court ruled that five search warrants related to an investigation in which Sanford was named as an implicated individual should be opened. The court released those documents today.
The Supreme Court’s decision is related to a case brought by two news organizations ProPublica and the Argus Leader of Sioux Falls which sought to have the search warrants opened.
The court’s decision does not provide any indication of Sanford’s level of involvement nor does it involve any decision regarding Sanford’s guilt or innocence. Charges have not been filed against Sanford.
A Sanford Health official statement from Bill Gassen, the Sanford Health President and CEO said, “We took the media reports in the fall of 2020 seriously and the information released today reaffirms our satisfaction that the allegations were not substantiated. We are grateful for Mr. Sanford’s generosity and the many ways his commitment to Sanford Health will benefit our region for generations to come.”
