Pennington County State's Attorney's Office

08/17/2026

State’s Attorney Lara Roetzel swore in experienced attorney Marya Tellinghuisen this afternoon.

Marya is joining our office as a Senior Deputy State’s Attorney and will serve in our Probable Cause Unit. She previously worked in the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office and served as a Magistrate Judge, bringing extensive legal and judicial experience to our team.

We’re excited to welcome Marya to the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office!

08/17/2026

We are excited to welcome Madison Russell to our team! Madison is joining us as a Pathways Student/Extern. She is from the Hot Springs area and is currently in her final year of law school at the University of South Dakota.

This is the second year the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office has hosted a Pathways Extern. Through the program, law students gain hands-on legal experience while completing a pathway to licensure that does not require taking the traditional bar exam. In return, participants commit to two years of public service following graduation. We are proud to be part of a program that helps prepare the next generation of South Dakota attorneys while encouraging them to serve communities across our state.

Welcome to the team, Madison! We are glad to have you!

07/29/2026

Together, these four men have achieved an incredible 1,481 days of sobriety!

Today, we celebrate Steven, Leo, Adam, and Trever as they graduate from Drug Court.

Recovery isn’t easy. It takes courage, accountability, and determination every single day. Their success reflects not only their hard work and commitment, but also the support of their loved ones and the Drug Court team who walked alongside them.

Congratulations on this incredible milestone. We are proud of you!

L to R - Adam, Steven, Trever, Leo and Judge Morrison

07/27/2026

Update!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
07/27/2026

As Pennington County continues responding to the recent cybersecurity incident, County departments are finding innovative ways to continue serving the public. All County offices remain open and operational, although there are a few services that remain limited, and processing times may be longer than usual as systems are safely restored.

Please note: County email remains unavailable; however, County phone lines are operational.

Treasurer's Office | Motor Vehicle
- The Treasurer's Office is once again processing motor vehicle transactions and accepting all forms of payment. Due to ongoing system limitations, the office currently has four to six processing stations available at any given time, compared to nine under normal operations. Transactions are being processed, but customers should expect longer wait times.
- To help expedite service, only transactions that have been reviewed and determined to be complete will be moved to the processing line.
- All completed transactions from last week that required next-day pickup are expected to be distributed by Wednesday of this week.
- All vehicle registration renewal requests received by mail have been processed and mailed back to customers as of Thursday, July 23.
- Residents are encouraged to use the self-service kiosks or the State's online portal at My605Drive.sd.gov whenever possible for eligible registrations and other transactions. Those services remain fully operational and can help reduce wait times.

Treasurer's Office | Real Estate
- At this time, there are no new updates regarding the real estate program.
- The queue system will be reevaluated once both the real estate and motor vehicle systems are fully operational. Until then, customers will be served on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Payments accepted are cash, checks, or credit cards with proper ID.

Auditor's Office
- Early voting is available at the Pennington County Administration Building today until 5 p.m. Tomorrow is Election Day, and voters should report to their assigned polling location to cast their ballots.
- The office is currently unable to process lien payments.

Register of Deeds
- The Register of Deeds Office is now processing requests for vital records. Records also remain available online through VitalChek.com or by calling 605-773-4961.
- The office is accepting real estate recordings; however, those documents cannot be fully processed until systems are restored.

Planning & Zoning
- The department continues providing its normal services, although some processes may take longer than usual.

Board of Commissioners
- County Commission meetings will continue as scheduled.
- Meetings are now being live-streamed; however, the quality of the stream may suffer due to technology limitations. They will also be recorded and posted as soon as systems allow.


County Information Technology staff, together with state and federal partners, continue to make progress in the investigation and remediation effort. Because the investigation remains active, we cannot comment on specific technical details. While we understand the public's desire for additional information, protecting the integrity of the investigation remains a priority. We appreciate the patience and understanding of our residents, as well as the extraordinary efforts and flexibility of County employees throughout this response.

At this time, no action is required from members of the public. If the investigation determines that protected personal information was affected, impacted individuals will be notified directly.

Media Contact:

Katy Urban
Public Information Officer
Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office

07/26/2026

These four interns have been an incredible addition to our office this summer! They’ve worked hard, gained valuable courtroom and real-world experience, and made a lasting impact. We’re so grateful for all they’ve contributed!

(L to R) Gabe Marchiando, Sam Marchiando, Blake Wiley, and Miles Svoboda.

07/20/2026

We love Benny! 🐾

Sometimes the most important job isn’t fixing computers. It’s taking a moment to recharge the people fixing them.

Last week, Benny answered a call from the Pennington County Information Technology Team. They’ve been working tirelessly over the past few weeks, and after long hours and mounting pressure, they decided it was time for a Benny Break.

A few smiles, some belly rubs, and a handful of treats won’t solve technical problems, but they can help lighten the load and remind people they’re not carrying it alone.

Thank you to the entire IT Team for everything you’re doing behind the scenes to keep our community connected. Benny and I were honored to spend a little time with you. Keep up the great work.

07/20/2026

07/14/2026

7/14/2026 Cybersecurity Incident Update:

• More departments have resumed normal operations (details below).
• Security validation and monitoring continue before remaining systems are brought back online.

Pennington County continues making steady progress in its response to the recent cybersecurity incident. County staff and cybersecurity experts remain focused on restoring operations within a safe and remediated network environment. We apologize for the operational disruption that this event may have caused, or continue to cause, until a safe restoration of services has been completed.

Additionally, our teams continue working closely with state and federal partners, as well as forensic experts, to investigate the incident. The comprehensive assessment is ongoing, and part of the assessment includes an analysis of whether personal information was affected. At this time, no action is required from members of the public. If we determine that personal information was involved in the incident, we will notify those individuals directly.

Department Updates:

Treasurer’s Office
• Staff are available to answer questions related to vehicle titles and other Treasurer’s Office matters.
• The office is currently unable to process vehicle registrations or accept payments of any kind.
• Vehicle registration renewals remain available online at my605drive.sd.gov and at self-service kiosks.
• Individuals whose temporary license plates expire within the next week should visit the Treasurer’s Office at 900 Concourse Drive for options.

Auditor’s Office
• Early voting remains available.
• The office is unable to process lien payments at this time.

Register of Deeds
• The Register of Deeds Office is now able to process vital records requests; however, they can only accept cash at this time. Vital records are also available online through VitalChek.comor by calling 605-773-4961.
• The Register of Deeds Office is currently accepting real estate recordings; however, they cannot be fully processed at this time.

Planning & Zoning
• The Department is providing its usual services; however, some processes may take longer than normal, and they are only able to accept cash or checks at this time. �
Board of Commissioners
• County Commission meetings will continue as scheduled. Due to the cybersecurity incident, meetings may not be livestreamed. They will be recorded and posted as soon as systems allow.

For the latest information regarding County services, please visit PennCo.org or follow the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office page.

Media Contact:
Katy Urban
Public Information Officer
Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office

07/13/2026

South Dakota is expected to receive funds as part of a settlement involving Roblox. These dollars will help support consumer protection efforts and reinforce the importance of holding companies accountable when laws designed to protect users, especially children, are violated.

Attorney General Marty Jackley has announced that South Dakota has reached a $15 million settlement with Roblox to ‘protect children from online threats and enhance the state’s educational system’.

07/09/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2026

Pennington County Continues Cybersecurity Response; Some Services Remain Limited

Pennington County continues working with state and federal partners to investigate the recent cybersecurity incident while safely restoring County systems and services. Protecting County data remains our highest priority.

As restoration efforts continue, some County services remain limited.

Treasurer’s Office

* Staff are available to answer questions related to vehicle titles and other Treasurer’s Office matters.
* The office is currently unable to process vehicle registrations or accept payments of any kind.
* Vehicle registration renewals remain available online at my605drive.sd.gov and at self-service kiosks.
* Individuals whose temporary license plates expire within the next week should visit the Treasurer’s Office at 900 Concourse Drive for options.

Auditor’s Office

* Early voting remains available.
* The office is unable to process lien payments at this time.

Register of Deeds

* Birth, death and marriage certificates remain available online through VitalChek.com or by calling 605-773-4961. As of Friday, July 10, the Pennington County Register of Deeds Office is also able to process vital records requests; however, they can only accept cash payments at this time.
* The Register of Deeds Office is currently accepting real estate recordings; however, they cannot be fully processed at this time.

Planning & Zoning

* Staff are now able to manually process building permits.
*The department can only accept cash or check payments at this time.

* County Commission meetings will continue as scheduled. Due to the cybersecurity incident, meetings may not be livestreamed. They will be recorded and posted as soon as systems allow.

For the latest information regarding County services, please visit PennCo.org or follow the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office page.

Media Contact:
Katy Urban
Public Information Officer
Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office