Janklow Charged with Manslaughter

Star Tribune | 8/29/03 | Pat Doyle and Richard Meryhew,

[Matt M]

FLANDREAU, S.D. -- South Dakota congressman William Janklow was charged Friday with second-degree manslaughter in the death of a Minnesota motorcylist who collided with Janklow's car after Janklow allegedly ran a stop sign.

The charge, a felony, is the most serious in South Dakota involving a motor vehicle accident when drugs or alcohol are not involved.

Moody County, S.D., prosecutors accused Janklow in a criminal complaint of "the reckless killing of another human being" in the Aug. 16 accident. Investigators said Janklow was driving 70 to 75 miles per hour when he ran a stop sign and collided with a motorcycle, killing the cyclist, according to a report released by the South Dakota State Patrol. The speed limit on the road is 55 mph.

Janklow, a four-term governor before he went to Congress, also was charged with reckless driving, speeding and failure to stop at a stop sign -- all misdemeanors.

Randolph E. Scott, a 55-year-old farmer from Hardwick, Minn., collided with Janklow's car and died at the scene.

[af_vet_1981]

When is this Republican going to resign ?

[conservativeinbflo.]

sorry but... he deserves it. i see maniacs like that on the road all of the time, and it makes my daily commute extremely stressful, and many times, dangerous.

[KantianBurke]

[GraniteStateConservative]

With a face like his, he won't have many boyfriends in prison.

[Hank Rearden]

No "sorry" about it. This lousy politician needs to be turned over to the Angels for justice. Arrogant, parasitic bastard.

[Hodar]

With a face like his, he won't have many boyfriends in prison.

Ummmm, his 'suitors' won't be looking at his face.

[ambrose]

looks like Tommy Daschle didn't pull any strings for his old friend.

[deport]

Some news report I saw yesterday said he has had something like a $1000 worth of fines for speeding over the past couple of years... seems he was known as 'lead foot'. He still had his flashing lights on his car he had installed back when he was Gov. or so they said and was trying to determine if he had them on at the time of the accident.

[KQQL]

His seat will turn RAT....he hardly won the last time.....


Indian votes will bought again.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Good point.

[KQQL]

I doubt he will resign, unless he gets convicted of the charge.

[GraniteStateConservative]

After being the reason Daschle made it to the Senate in the first place in 1986? Where's the love, I say!

[KQQL]

@

[=Intervention=]

A good point that is often lost upon the early condemners -- without a conviction (and hopefully a jury trial) it is just an charge. I know I don't know everything about this case and I know better to trust AP to get it right. So I'm in a "wait and see" mode here. Whether he's guilty or not is up to the jury to decide.

[=Intervention=]

Correction: the newspaper...not the AP.

[Theodore R.]

Had this been Daschle, would there have been a manslaughter charge? Or just reckless driving? Daschle would probably get a plea bargain and resume fund-raising.

But a SD Republican is held to a higher standard than a popular Democrat.

Nevertheless, I don't see how Janklow has any choice but to resign and go to jail. Maybe jail time will settle him down.

[Coop]

Had this been Daschle, would there have been a manslaughter charge?

No. The Democrats would have publicly blasted President Bush for inadequately funding South Dakota's state highway agency.

[pogo101]

If he's going to be an albatross, he should go. Gov. can appoint Thune to his old seat.

[Hodar]

The stories of Janklow's term of Dictator of SoDak are many, and based in truth. For example, he was twice picked up for speeding on a motorcycle, and did not possess a license to drive a cycle. His excuse both time? "I didn't know I needed a motorcycle license to drive a motorcycle".

He has been arrested numerous time for putting flashing (Police car) light bars on his family station wagon, (so he though) he would be 'above the laws' that govern everyone else.

We have the Monument to Stupidity in Vermillion, SD. Yes, folks, SoDak which enjoys 9 months of winter and 3 months of poor sledding has their version of the 'Astrodome'. This energy inefficient structure is NOT at the largest school in the state, nor the 2nd largest ... but Janklow went there and after all, that's what matters. The energy costs of this building dwarf the energy costs at most college campus's. When it's -60 outside, and you have a roof held in place by air pressure, you have to provide enough energy to keep the building 100 degrees warmer to keep it from freezing water pipes.

The good folk at Custer State Park are particularily thrilled about the "Govenor Issued Elk Permits" he gave himself and his family so they could hunt elk in the state park over Christmas.

Yet, the idiots (yes, I mean retarded, dim-witted, slow, below normal intelligent) democratic voters in SoDak saw fit to vote him into office, not once, not twice, but at least three times ....

Like 95% of the college grads from SoDak; I left as quickly as I could.