Trial set in S.D. deputy slaying case

PARKER, S.D. — The trial for a man accused of killing a deputy sheriff in southeastern South Dakota has been set for Aug. 23, but attorneys must wait to learn whether the case will be moved out of Turner County.

Defense lawyers for Ethan Johns told Circuit Judge Steven Jensen on Thursday that it will be difficult to seat an impartial jury in the county seat of Parker. They asked that the trial be moved 30 miles away to Sioux Falls, or that a survey be done if it stays in Turner County to determine whether potential jurors have formed an opinion about the case.

The judge did not make a decision Thursday on the request to move the trial, and it’s not clear when a ruling will come.

Johns, 20, is charged with alternate counts of first-degree murder and second-degree murder in the shooting death of Turner County Deputy Sheriff Chad Mechels last March. The 32-year-old Mechels had been sent to Johns’ rented Marion farmhouse to check on him after he reportedly threatened to kill himself during a fight with his girlfriend.

Authorities said Johns and Mechels shot at each other, and Mechels was struck in his throat and arm. Johns surrendered several hours later in Sioux Falls.

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty if Johns is convicted of first-degree murder.

Defense attorney Sid Strange said he believes that nearly all potential jurors in the county have heard about the case, thought about it and drawn a conclusion.

“The jury pool is limited,” Strange said at Thursday’s hearing. “This matter has created a significant stir in the county.”

Turner County State’s Attorney Tiffani Landeen-Hoeke said moving the trial would add unnecessary expenses. She said defense lawyers can weed out people whom they consider biased during jury selection.

She questioned the authenticity of a phone survey.

“Those 10 or 11 questions can be asked face-to-face” during jury selection, Landeen-Hoeke said.

Strange said the jury pool has been tainted by community efforts tied to the late deputy sheriff, including benefits for the Mechels family, a proposal to rename part of a highway after the officer, and a courthouse display in his memory.

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