Davison County felony court cases for April 9

Sam Fosness, The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
·6 min read

Apr. 11—MITCHELL — The following cases were among those heard Tuesday, April 9, during a circuit court session at the Davison County Public Safety Center, with Judge Chris Giles presiding:

* Brian Mazzoni, 37, of Mitchell, was sentenced to five years in prison with two years suspended for possession of a controlled substance (meth), a Class 5 felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Judge Giles pointed to Mazzoni's lengthy criminal record and Mazzoni's recent attempt to cheat a drug test as several reasons he imposed a sentence with prison time. According to an arrest affidavit, officers located Mazzoni standing in the middle of Dry Run Creek. Officers used a throw rope to help Mazzoni out of the creek after he refused to walk himself out of the water for officers to speak with him, the affidavit says. Mazzoni was in possession of meth when officers searched him following the incident.

* Michael Vincint Miller, 43, of Mount Vernon, pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault by way of strangulation, a Class 3 felony that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine; child abuse, a Class 4 felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine; and two counts of simple assault (domestic abuse), each a misdemeanor offense. According to an arrest affidavit, Miller allegedly pushed a woman to get to a child who he assaulted. Miller allegedly choked a 15-year-old victim and proceeded to punch the victim in the face multiple times.

* Jackson Cotto, 18, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to aggravated eluding, a Class 6 felony that carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a $4,000 fine. According to an arrest affidavit, an officer attempted to stop Cotto for allegedly drag racing on Mitchell streets. Cotto led the officer on a vehicle pursuit that was terminated due to Cotto reaching dangerously high speeds of up to 70 mph through residential areas, the affidavit says. The officer obtained parts of the vehicle's license plate number and other exterior details of the vehicle, which led officers to request an interview with Cotto. During the investigation, officers obtained a message on Cotto's cell phone that allegedly revealed Cotto admitting to the drag racing incident in message exchange.

* Christopher Cobb, 36, of Huntington Beach, California, pleaded not guilty to three counts of possession of a controlled substance (cocaine, meth and psychedelic mushrooms), each a Class 5 felony. According to an arrest affidavit, Cobb was involved in an altercation that broke out on Interstate 90, which prompted officers to search his vehicle after a K-9 unit detected the odor of a drug. The search uncovered pills containing cocaine, mushrooms and meth.

* Majda Korkutovic, 31, of Letcher, had an October status hearing scheduled in connection to second-degree burglary, a Class 3 felony that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. According to an arrest affidavit, Korkutovic allegedly broke into a home in Mitchell through a basement window. Upon the homeowner entering his residence, Korkutovic was seen sitting on the steps drinking a beer with a pair of shirts placed atop her head, the affidavit said. Authorities located Korkutovic shortly after the alleged burglary in Loomis, which is about 5 miles north of Mitchell.

* Lindsay Gese, 30, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to two counts of identity theft, each a Class 6 felony; and two counts of second-degree petty theft, each a misdemeanor offense. According to an affidavit, Gese allegedly stole a credit card and used it to purchase food delivered by DoorDash.

* Cannupa Williamson, 27, of Mitchell, was sentenced to two years in prison with two years suspended for intentional damage to property, a Class 6 felony. He was also sentenced to 16 days in jail with 16 days suspended for simple assault (domestic abuse), a misdemeanor offense. He was ordered to serve two years of probation. According to an arrest affidavit, Williamson assaulted a victim he was residing with. According to prosecuting attorney Robert O'Keefe, Williamson also crushed the door of the victim he assaulted. The damage to the victim's vehicle amounted between $2,500 to $5,000.

* Nicholas Russell, 27, of Mitchell, pleaded guilty to failure to provide accurate information as a registered sex offender, a Class 6 felony; and a subsequent failure to register as a sex offender, a Class 5 felony.

* Nolan Blackmoon-Aungie, 26, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to a fourth-offense Driving Under the Influence (DUI) charge, a Class 5 felony; first-offense DUI and speeding on other roadways, which are each misdemeanor offenses.

* Katie Teal, 36, of Rapid City, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance (meth), a Class 5 felony. She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 21.

* Tanner Shields, 33, of Fort Thomspon, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance (meth), a Class 5 felony. Shields was sentenced to three years in prison with three years suspended. He will remain on parole with the South Dakota Department of Corrections.

* Aria Uthe, 25, of Sioux Falls, was sentenced to five years in prison with five years suspended for possession of a controlled substance, a Class 5 felony. She was also ordered to serve 44 days in jail.

* Kyle Milekovich, 40 of Mitchell, admitted to violating probation. He was serving probation for possession of a controlled substance, a Class 5 felony. Milekovich was ordered to serve three years of probation.

* Wade Myers, 29, of Mitchell, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance (meth), a Class 5 felony; and admitted to violating probation. He was sentenced to five years in prison with five years suspended for the drug possession charge. Myers was ordered to serve a total of six years of probation for the two charges he was sentenced for on Tuesday. Myers was recently accepted into the James Valley Drug Court program. Completing the program is a condition of his probation.

* Zachary Uttecht, 24, pleaded not guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor, a Class 6 felony.

* Ervin St. Claire, 48, of Mitchell, was sentenced to five years in prison with five years suspended for a probation violation. St. Claire's suspended imposition was revoked. He was ordered to serve two years of probation and received credit for serving 83 days in jail.

* Malinda Moreno, 53, of Mitchell, was granted a suspended imposition for possession of a controlled substance (meth), a Class 5 felony. Moreno was granted the suspended imposition for successfully completing probation. She was convicted of the drug possession charge in 2022 and ordered to serve two years of probation.

* Zeraya Sellers, 20, of Mitchell, denied violating probation. Sellers is serving probation for possession of a controlled substance (meth), a Class 5 felony.

* Jacob Rodriquez, 33, of Mitchell, was granted a continuance for multiple pending criminal cases. Rodriquez is facing a fourth offense simple assault charge, a Class 5 felony; intentional damage to property and entering or refusing to leave a property upon notice, which are misdemeanor offenses.

* Zachary Fuhrer, 19, of Mitchell, pleaded guilty to ingestion of a substance other than alcohol, a misdemeanor offense. Fuhrer was granted a suspended imposition.