Then-Governor William Janklow in 2002.
South Dakota Congressman and former South Dakota governor Bill Janklow was in court on September 2 to face felony charges in the August 16 crash which killed Minnesota motorcyclist Randy Scott. The South Dakota State's Attorney has charged U.S. Representative Janklow with second-degree manslaughter and three misdemeanor charges as a result of the accident. The felony manslaughter charge carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The misdemeanors -- failure to stop, going 71 in a 55-mph zone and reckless driving -- carry maximum penalties of 30 days in jail and a $200 fine for the first two and a year in jail and a $1,000 fine for reckless driving. Presumably Janklow will also face a civil suit from Randy Scott's survivors. Scott owned a trucking business and was a volunteer firefighter and Vietnam vet.
Reported pale and weak, apparently because internal bleeding from the head injury he suffered in the crash has not stopped, Janklow, who will be 64 in mid September, said nothing while his lawyers asked for a preliminary hearing on the felonly and reckless driving charges. That hearing was set for September 24 and 25. Pleas for the other traffic charges were deferred until a later date.
Motorcycle groups have been waiting to see if the popular politician would get off lightly because of his position, but so far the Moody County, SD State's Attorney Bill Ellingson seems to be carefully following the letter of the law and charging the politician with the most severe charges the circumstances allow. Janklow's son said the congressman expected to be charged with a crime.
In related a news, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Janklow had a near-collision at the same intersection in December, apparently in the same borrowed Cadillac. This incident could be used by the prosecutor to show that Janklow had a history of driving with reckless disregard, which could help support the manslaughter case against him. In that December event, Janklow reportedly just missed colliding with car occupied by four people. It also seems to indicate that he should have been aware that the stop sign was there. As mentioned in an earlier MotorcycleCruiser.com story, Janklow offered some explanations after the accident that seemed dubious to us (and apparently others).
Janklow loses his Congressional voting rights if convicted and may lose his office as well. He will apparently miss the opening of the Congressional session because of his injuries. He has said that he will not resign. One person at the courthouse shouted, "You're history!" as he entered the building, but most of those present offered support for the politician.
Meanwhile, Green Party presidential candidate and traffic-safety demagogue Ralph Nader has called on Janklow to resign, implying that Janklow's admitted propensity for speeding made it inevitable that someone would get killed and shows behavior that's too irresponsible for someone who holds such high office. However, it appears to us that the failure to stop for the stop sign, not simple speed, was the cause of the accident.
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