After Gov. Noem commuted prison sentence, Mitchell woman pleads guilty to new drug possession charge

Mar. 27—MITCHELL — A Mitchell woman who was one of seven South Dakota inmates to be granted a commuted prison sentence in 2022 is facing additional prison time after pleading guilty Tuesday to a new drug possession charge.

Jamie Bosone, 39, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), a Class 5 felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Bosone is scheduled to be sentenced for the drug possession charge in April. Judge Chris Giles, who sentenced Bosone to serve 3 1/2 years in prison in 2022 for possession of fentanyl and another controlled substance, is presiding over Bosone's new drug charge.

During Tuesday's status hearing, Giles said, "It's disappointing we're here again."

Bosone was about four months into serving her 3 1/2-year prison sentence when Gov. Kristi Noem commuted the prison time, which allowed Bosone to be released from prison and remain on parole supervision. In announcing the commutation, Noem stated the seven individuals who had their prison sentences commuted in December 2022 "earned a second chance."

The new charge Bosone was arrested for in October 2023 stemmed from a parole search of her residence in Mitchell that uncovered "over 50 used hypodermic" needles, a container with 1 gram of meth, marijuana and a meth pill, according to an arrest affidavit.

The search of Bosone's residence also resulted in a new felony drug charge for her boyfriend Daniel Smythe, 39, who was charged with possession of a controlled substance (meth), a Class 5 felony. According to the affidavit, officers allegedly discovered meth stashed in clothes belonging to Smythe.

Smythe was previously sentenced to serve 3 1/2 years in prison for the April 2022 drug charges that stemmed from the RV search. Unlike Bosone, Smythe did not receive a commutation of his sentence from Noem. However, he was released from prison and placed under parole supervision prior to the new charges.

Smythe has pleaded not guilty to the new drug possession charges. Bosone and Smythe are on parole supervision with the state's Department of Corrections.

The pair of drug possession charges Bosone was sentenced to prison for in 2022 stemmed from a search of an RV she was residing in. Authorities searched the RV following a report of an elderly woman being forced out of the RV during inclement weather. The search uncovered 8 grams of fentanyl, less than 2 ounces of marijuana and multiple drug paraphernalia items.

In the 2022 case, authorities determined Bosone and Smythe were on a cross-country trip with their 4-year-old child and Bosone's mother when they made a stop at Betts Campground near the west edge of Mitchell. Police were called to the campground after receiving a report of a frail elderly woman being locked out of an RV.