Death of former cabinet secretary comes after abuse of power allegations

Found dead last week, Andrew Gerlach let go in October after decades in South Dakota government

Andrew Gerlach

The death of a longtime South Dakota state employee and former cabinet secretary last week came after his tenure in state government abruptly ended amid abuse of power allegations.

Andrew Gerlach, South Dakota’s former deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Human Resources and Administration (BHRA), was found dead in his Pierre home Jan. 3. Details about cause of death have not been released to the public.

Gerlach’s death follows an acrimonious end to his decades-long tenure in state government.

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