Correctional Officer Says Tablets Was Reason For Disturbance

(Sioux Falls, SD) — A correctional officer says an inmate protesting a lack of access to tablets and phones was the reason for Wednesday night’s disturbance at the South Dakota State Penitentiary. Officer Scott Schlagel says he was asked to come in after the inmate refused to go back to his cell. When officers attempted to cuff the inmate he reportedly assaulted a correctional officer. The Department of Corrections said on March 8th calls and messages from tablets were suspended because of an investigation. Inmates used the devices to contact family members but Governor Noem says the investigation is happening because inmates have used them for the “wrong reasons.”