Clay County Sheriff - Vermillion, SD

05/29/2026

Chief Deputy Pederson spent much of this week as an advisor for the Girls' State Sheriffs during Girls' State hosted at USD in Vermillion. He taught the sheriffs about the Office of Sheriff including the duties and responsibilities of the office as well as helping them prepare for their mock trials later in the week.

05/13/2026

05/07/2026

On April 27, Wakonda 5th Grade students graduated from the DARE program and on May 4, Vermillion 5th graders did the same. Derek Miles, Olympic Bronze medal winner and USD Associate Director of Track & Field was the keynote speaker in Wakonda and USD Volleyball team member Carly Ries and USD Women's Softball team member Abi Brown spoke to the Vermillion graduates. Our DARE instructors are Clay County Sheriff's Deputies Aaron Armstrong and Shannon Kymala, Vermillion Police Officer Robin Hower, and Sgt. Joe Palleschi from the University of South Dakota Police Department. Essay winners from each class were awarded a medal for their achievement. We thank United Way of Vermillion for their support of the DARE program in Clay County schools, and we congratulate all of the DARE graduates.

05/04/2026

Our corrections officers do a job most of the public never encounter. They serve days, nights, weekends, and holidays with little recognition in comparison to other public safety professionals who serve out in the community but they are no less important. At the Clay County Sheriff’s Office we value and appreciate the service of our corrections officers every day.

04/25/2026

"Where do I go?" A lot of changes are happening in the courthouse! Here is what you need to know when you come to the courthouse. First, construction is still happening, just on a smaller scale. Please be mindful of signs and barricades. Second, the Treasurer's Office and State's Attorney's Office are in the annex. You can use that entrance, or you can enter through the courthouse by using the brick archway. For security purposes, we will be restricting entrance to the courthouse via the door on the EAST side of the building or from inside through the annex.

04/22/2026

This red flag warning will put Clay County in an automatic burn ban today.

The combination of strong winds, dry conditions, and warmer temperatures will lead to extreme fire danger from this afternoon through early evening. As a result, a Red Flag Warning will be in effect from 12 pm through 8 pm. Avoid any outdoor burning as a fire could quickly spread out of control!

04/16/2026

**This Post Contains Outdated information**

***Attention Clay County Residents***

No Open Burning from 12pm Noon today until 8pm tonight. Winds will pickup and humidity will drop during this time. Please refrain from starting any controlled burns this morning in preparation for the Red Flag Warning.

Clay County Sheriff - Vermillion, SD
Clay County Emergency Management
City of Vermillion - Municipal Government
Gayville Fire and Rescue
Irene Volunteer Fire Department
Beresford Fire & Rescue

03/30/2026

SCAM ALERT!!

Someone is calling local residents claiming to be Deputy David Kyte from our office in an effort to scam the recipient of the call. Call our office or any other law enforcement agency to verify any such calls or effort to collect fines or fees. We will never ask you to pay fines or any other fees with cryptocurrency, gift cards or any other indirect method. It is advisable, if you are unsure of the caller to look up our number yourself and call in to verify. If there is pressure to act fast without verification, it is even more likely to be a scam.

03/28/2026

No open burning today. Let’s give our firefighters a break this weekend. Also, remember that county ordinance requires notification prior to a planned burn. Call us at 605-677-7100 before starting a planned burn.

The combination of strong winds, dry conditions, and warm temperatures will lead to extreme fire danger from this afternoon through early evening. As a result, a Red Flag Warning will be in effect from 10 am through 9 pm. Avoid any outdoor burning as a fire could quickly spread out of control!