S.D. governor demands removal of federal game warden

[JohnWester]

PIERRE, S.D. ? Gov. Mike Rounds says one federal game warden is single-handedly trashing his state's image as a hunting paradise, and Rounds wants him gone.

The governor says he's tired of hearing from hunters who claim that the warden has tried to intimidate them with rudeness, vulgar tirades or aggression.

The governor's staff warned that if the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service fails to remove Bob Prieksat by Friday, South Dakota will tell state game wardens to stop enforcing federal wildlife laws.

The move's practical effect would be small because federal and state laws overlap broadly, but it's still important, the officials said.

"What we've got is a case where people are not being treated with the respect they should be treated with," Rounds said. "It was reflecting poorly upon our dealings with the public. It is not acceptable."

More than 60 people have filed complaints about Prieksat, and more than 700 have signed petitions calling for his removal, said Ron Skjonsberg, the Republican governor's chief of staff.

"I want Prieksat gone," Skjonsberg said. "I don't care if they fire him, I don't care if they transfer him, but I don't want him in South Dakota."

The state, particularly the area near the capital of Pierre, attracts thousands of hunters each fall when migrating geese stop to rest and feed along the Missouri River. The hunters spend millions of dollars.

Prieksat has acknowledged that he enforces the law aggressively. He declined to speak to the AP this week.

Gary Mowad, Prieksat's supervisor, said he "absolutely" disagrees with those who characterize Prieksat as abusive, and John Murphy, a state game warden involved with Prieksat on a federal case, called him "the most truthful law enforcement officer I've ever worked with."

Mike Ferris, a hunter and businessman in Pierre, said he thinks people who have been arrested by Prieksat embellish their stories.

"The thing I respect about Mr. Prieksat is he'd arrest you, he'd arrest me, he'd arrest his own mother," Ferris said.

Skjonsberg said the dispute involves Prieksat's treatment of people, not his enforcement of the law.

"It's the use of profanity," he said. "It's the use of intimidation. It's the use of hollering and screaming at people trying to get them to acknowledge or admit to doing something they may or may not have done."

Steve Wright of Albert Lea, Minn., said Prieksat confronted him and a goose-hunting companion late last fall as they left a field near Pierre and accused them of shooting too many geese.

Wright said Prieksat's profanity-laced tirade was so wild it caused the agent to inadvertently spit in their faces. Wright had contested the charges against him but ended up pleading no contest, meaning that he agreed to pay a $225 fine without admitting guilt. Wright said his legal fees well exceeded the fine.

Shane Hyde of Pierre said he and a few friends suffered Prieksat's abusive behavior while goose hunting a few years ago. Prieksat kicked over decoys, demanded to see the hunters' licenses and accused them of shooting too many geese, though they hadn't shot any, he said.

"We hadn't done anything wrong, but yet we were treated as if we'd broken every law there is," Hyde said. "We've got a right to be treated with some respect."

Rounds said he asked the Fish & Wildlife Service to do something about Prieksat years ago, but nothing happened. Earlier this year, the governor demanded Prieksat be fired or transferred.

"No one in their right mind can discount hundreds of people saying the same thing," he said.

The state's threat to stop enforcing federal law is both symbolic and real because of the aid the state provides enforcing federal regulations in areas like endangered species and migratory birds, Skjonsberg said Friday.

"If that agreement goes away, it's a pretty significant statement for a state to make," he said.