A South Dakota state senator has been charged with two felonies after investigators looked into election-related forms that county officials said had mismatched signatures.
State Sen. Tom Pischke, a Dell Rapids Republican, was charged Tuesday with two counts of offering a false or forged instrument for filing, according to Dakota News Now.
The Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation began in late March after the county Auditor’s Office found 16 Republican precinct committeeman and committeewoman forms with signatures that did not match the people named on the documents.
An arrest warrant was issued June 22. Pischke voluntarily turned himself in at the Minnehaha County Jail on June 23, was booked, and was released on a personal recognizance bond.
The Charges Are Tied To Party Committee Forms
Dakota News Now reported that the sheriff’s office began investigating after the Auditor’s Office flagged 16 forms with mismatched signatures. The Dakota Scout described the case as a monthslong investigation into candidate filings suspected by Minnehaha County election officials to be bogus.
Pischke represents District 25 in the South Dakota Senate. The Dakota Scout reported that he is a veteran legislator seeking a third term and that he declined to comment, directing questions to his legal representation.
The charges remain allegations. Pischke has not been convicted.
The State GOP Says He Is Stepping Back From Party Duties
The South Dakota Republican Party said Pischke has agreed to step back from party obligations while the charges are pending.
According to a party statement published by South Dakota War College, Pischke temporarily relinquished his roles as Region 1 director and Minnehaha County state committeeman effective immediately.
“Because of the charges that have been brought against Senator Pischke, he has agreed to step back from his party obligations as Region 1 Director and Minnehaha County State Committeeman until this matter has been resolved,” South Dakota Republican Party Chairman Jim Eschenbaum said in the statement.
The filing charge is the legal issue now in front of the court. The clean public record is that election officials flagged mismatched signatures, the sheriff’s office investigated, prosecutors filed two felony charges, and Pischke turned himself in before being released on bond.