Attorney General Jackley Announces Former Prison Employee Pleads Guilty to Sexual Contact with Prison Inmate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024

Contact: Tony Mangan, Communications Director, 605-773-6878

PIERRE, S.D. - South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that a former prison employee has pleaded guilty to one count of a Prohibited Sexual Act Between a Prison Employee and Prisoner.

Cassandra Jelsma, 36, entered her guilty plea Tuesday in Bon Homme County Circuit Court. She faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a $4,000 fine when she is sentenced Feb. 4, 2025.

The incident happened between Nov. 1, 2022 and June 22, 2023, with an inmate at the Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield. The defendant was a prison employee at the time.

South Dakota's Division of Criminal Investigation and the South Dakota Department of Corrections Special Investigations Unit investigated the case. The South Dakota Attorney General's Office prosecuted the case.

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