SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — There’s is another case of public corruption in South Dakota, this time involving a hired state health inspector, state Attorney General Marty Jackley said in a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
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Renee Strong, 55, of Springfield has been indicted on 26 total felony counts alleging that falsified health inspections on businesses from February to June. Strong is accused of forging the names of business owners on health inspection forms and then submitting those false inspections to the South Dakota Department of Health.
The 26 counts are broken into 13 counts of offering false or forged instruments for filing or recording in a public office and 13 counts of forgery. Jackley did not share a dollar amount for the alleged false food inspections.
Jackley said inspectors such as Strong are paid for their inspections but did not specify details for the alleged motivation. The inspection and charges come because of whistleblower protected by state law, Jackley said.
A health inspector inspects restaurants, mobile food trucks and similar. Jackley said there is a geographic pattern as to where Strong’s alleged misconduct happened but did not specify. He did repeat that Strong was from Springfield.
“We were contacted…we acted on it Oct. 8,” Jackley said of the whistleblower action.
Jackley said there are more alleged incidents involving Strong but the charges and potential sentence of 91 years is adequate.
Strong had worked as an inspector for about a year, Jackley said. She was an employee of the Department of Public Safety hired to do inspections for the DOH.
Jackley said five specific businesses cooperated with the AG’s office.
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She had also worked in other state positions prior to inspections, Jackley said.
Although Strong has been arrested, she has not yet made her first court appearance. She is on a $1,000 bond.
This is the fourth case of public corruption that has resulted in state investigations and the involvement of the Attorney General.
“There’s been a level of this happening,” Jackley said of cases. “There are clearly some problems in state government.”
The state has 14,000 employees, so there is a possibility of corruption, Jackley said.
The charges stemming from the four cases show that the state is responding but also generating confidence in those who may know of corruption, Jackley said.
“I think people are seeing they are (going) to be heard,” Jackley said.
While the whistleblower is protected in this case, Jackley said the state can improve its whistleblower laws as well as installing more accountability in state government
