Edited for brevity.
Rep. Bill Janklow, found guilty Monday of second-degree manslaughter, said he will resign from Congress on Jan. 20, the day he is tentatively scheduled to be sentenced. Janklow, R-S.D., the state’s only member of the U.S. House, told the Dakota News Network he will send his letter of resignation to House Speaker Dennis Hastert this morning. Gov. Mike Rounds planned to convene a meeting of constitutional officers late Monday evening to discuss how to handle a possible special election to replace Janklow in the House. Janklow made the announcement within an hour and a half after a Moody County jury convicted him of manslaughter and three lesser charges in the Aug. 16 traffic death of Randy Scott, 55. The 12-member jury deliberated for less than five hours Monday afternoon. The congressman was charged criminally with felony second-degree manslaughter and three misdemeanors in the accident that killed Scott, a Hardwick, Minn., farmer who crashed into Janklow’s Cadillac on a motorcycle as Janklow drove at highway speed through a stop sign at a rural intersection. To reach that verdict, the jury decided the 64-year-old Republican consciously disregarded a known risk as he sped through a stop sign south of his hometown, headed to his home in Brandon. The four-term governor and first-term congressman faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, as well as the likely end of his storied political career.
Growing up in SD, I respected then Gov. Janklow for his candid and blunt speaking, but he has a history of speeding and reckless driving that finally caught up to him when he killed a man. I just hope SD gets a decent "R-SD" with more respect for the law back in the House. |