PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Supreme Court issued a decision Thursday morning affirming the commitment of a minor to the Department of Corrections following a series of threats made at Edgemont School.
The case, titled Interest of J.A.D., III, 2026 S.D. 11, centered on an incident where a student threatened to go home, retrieve a firearm, and shoot a school counselor, fellow students, and himself. According to court documents, a special education teacher intervened when the student attempted to leave the premises. After interviewing the minor, the teacher contacted 911, which prompted a soft lockdown and a law enforcement response.
In the subsequent juvenile delinquency proceeding, the State charged the minor with aggravated assault, simple assault, and making a terroristic threat. While the trial court found the State failed to establish aggravated assault, it did find the student committed simple assault and made a terroristic threat. The trial court then ordered the student be committed to the Department of Corrections.
The student appealed the decision to the state’s highest court. In the opinion authored by Justice Myren, the South Dakota Supreme Court vacated the simple assault adjudication but affirmed the terroristic threat adjudication. Three other justices joined Myren in full agreement, further affirming the trial court’s decision to commit the minor to the Department of Corrections.
Justice Salter filed a separate opinion, noting he believed the simple assault adjudication should have also been upheld.
The ruling underscores the legal consequences for threats of violence within the South Dakota school system. Residents in the Rapid City area and across the Black Hills have remained focused on school safety protocols in recent years.
The full opinion can be accessed through the South Dakota Unified Judicial System website.
