WHITE — A report of a man being fired on near White on May 2 turned out to have not occurred as claimed, and the man is now facing a misdemeanor charge of false reporting.
Elijah Arias, 26, was arrested and taken to the Brookings County Detention Center, and was later released on a personal recognizance bond, according to a May 3 news release from the Brookings County Sheriff’s Office. Under South Dakota law, Arias could face up to a year in jail and/or a $20,000 fine if he’s convicted.
His initial court date is set for 9 a.m. on June 8 at the Brookings County Courthouse in front of Magistrate Judge Bob Pesall, according to the sheriff’s office.
The incident started unfolding at approximately 6:35 p.m., when the sheriff’s office responded to a report from a resident in White regarding an alleged shots-fired incident involving Arias, who is his roommate.
“The reporting party stated that Arias had been fired upon while driving between Brookings and White,” Assistant Sheriff Dave Biteler wrote in the release. “Deputies, along with the South Dakota Highway Patrol, responded to the residence and initiated an investigation. Arias provided a description of a suspect vehicle and individuals allegedly involved in the incident.”
The Brookings Police Department assisted with the incident as well, he noted.
Biteler went on to write that, via a follow-up investigation and interviews in Brookings, including contact with owners of similar vehicles, authorities determined that the reported incident did not occur as described.
“Investigators learned that Arias had been operating his roommate’s vehicle and discharged a Colt 1911 out of the window into a ditch,” Biteler wrote. “One of the rounds struck the vehicle, prompting Arias to panic and subsequently fabricate the report.”
He added that law enforcement determined there was no threat to the public at any time during the incident.
When reached by The Brookings Register, Biteler had some advice for weapons owners: “We have approved facilities to shoot weapons — Beacon Hill Range and BCOAC are two of them. Look into them and take the time to be safe while shooting weapons.”
— Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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