Wife of Brown County Sheriff at center of investigation stemming from jail blood draws

Aberdeen Police stopped using jail staff to obtain blood samples amid allegations of misconduct by technician married to Sheriff Dave Lunzman

(The Dakota Scout)

The wife of a northeastern South Dakota sheriff is at the center of an ongoing investigation into warrantless blood draws that’s splintering relations between area law enforcement.

The Aberdeen Police Department has stopped using the Brown County Sheriff’s Office to administer blood draws amid allegations that a county blood draw technician — Mary Jane Lunzman — took at least one blood sample from a DUI suspect this fall without consent or a warrant.

Lunzman, the wife of Brown County Sheriff Dave Lunzman, has since had her duties within the county jail reduced, but not until the incident came onto the radar of other Brown County officials last month, prompting the Brown County State’s Attorney’s Office to retain outside counsel to investigate the allegations.

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