PIERRE, S.D. – Five people, including a former state correctional officer and two current inmates, have been indicted for transporting contraband, including drugs, into the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.
Those indicted include Carson DeYoung, 22, of Sioux Falls, a former South Dakota Department of Corrections officer; inmates Max Bolden, 42, and Simba Oma Maat, 25; Nancy Sage, 52, of Sioux Falls; and Chandler Boone, 31, of Denver.
“Transporting illegal items into the prison makes the facility less safe for staff and inmates,” Attorney General Marty Jackley said. “We will not tolerate such activity and thank you to the Department of Corrections for its cooperation with the investigation.”
According to Jackley, Boone procured the items and mailed them to Sage in Sioux Falls. DeYoung had not yet transported these particular items into the prison, but Jackley says he had agreed to do so. Investigators are still working to determine what other contraband he may have moved into the facility.
Bolden is serving a life sentence for murder. Maat is serving sentences for first-degree and second-degree burglary, with a scheduled release date in 2028.
All five face one felony count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. For inmates Bolden and Maat, the maximum sentence would be doubled. They also face one felony count of conspiracy to distribute synthetic cannabinoids, known as K2, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. That penalty also would be doubled for Bolden and Maat.
In addition, the group was indicted on one felony count of conspiracy to deliver an authorized article, a cell phone, to an inmate, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, and one misdemeanor count of conspiracy to deliver a vape pen to an inmate, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. Those penalties also would be doubled for Bolden and Maat.
DeYoung faces additional charges, including one felony count of possession of an unauthorized article, an anabolic steroid, with intent to deliver to an inmate. That charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. He was also charged with one felony count of possession of a controlled substance, an anabolic steroid, with intent to distribute, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Sage also faces two additional felony charges: possession of methamphetamine and possession of synthetic cannabinoids. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The case was investigated by South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation with assistance from the Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force, which includes detectives from the Sioux Falls Police Department and the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office. The Attorney General’s Office will prosecute.
Earlier this year, Emily’s Hope reported that the South Dakota Department of Corrections had uncovered a drug smuggling ring in the state’s prisons. Three inmates have died from overdoses in DOC custody this year, including two in May and one in February. Two of the deaths occurred at the Jameson Annex and one at the South Dakota State Penitentiary.
