Mayoral candidate smashes election laptop with hammer labeled 'truth' and 'justice,' pleads no contest

A Groton man, who is one of two candidates for mayor, recently pleaded no contest to misdemeanor property damage after smashing a computer at the Brown County Auditor's Office with a hammer bearing the words "truth" and "justice" on the handle.

Aaron M. Grant, 39, of Groton, was charged after he damaged the computer on Dec. 17.

Grant is also on the April 12 ballot in Groton as one of two candidates running for mayor. He's challenging incumbent Scott Hanlon who has been mayor since 2013. He pleaded no contest to the charge on March 18.

In the court system a plea of no contest, or nolo contedere, is usually treated like a guilty plea for sentencing purposes. In essence, the defendant is accepting the conviction without admitting to the charge.

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Brown County Auditor Cathy McNickle said Grant arrived at the auditor's office on Dec. 17 to discuss elections and get a tour to get information for a class. McNickle said she's had other people ask to do the same, so it wasn't an odd request. While at the auditor's office, however, Grant pulled a hammer out of his sportscoat and smashed one of the county's eBooks, which are used as electronic poll books.

He then sat down and waited for law enforcement to respond.

McNickle said Grant wasn't threatening toward her or other others in the office. Instead, she saw the intent of his actions as ones intended to make a statement.

"It wasn't necessarily an attack," she said. "Just a display of intimidation."

In addition to damaging the computer, McNickle said Grant left paperwork about "National Sovereignty."

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Those documents discuss the need to maintain the freedom to vote and warn against voting electronically.

"Even ancient Rome had a vote, and the Greeks before them. Even Germany elected socialism and changed the world. But now, it's different. For the first time in history, a vote is cast into oblivion where a distant hand, at the click of a button, can, and does change history," Grant's document reads.

In South Dakota, however, that's not the case. Votes aren't cast on machines. They are still cast on paper ballots. While machines are used, they're used to count the votes. Machines are also available to assist voters in filling out their ballots, but those votes are printed on a paper ballot.

The computers are used to check in voters when they show up to a vote center for an election. Poll workers can access information about what voting districts the person resides to determine the paper ballot that's issued, but the laptops don't store any votes.

Computer had recently been designated as surplus property

While the county has several in use on Election Day, McNickle said, the damaged laptop had recently been declared surplus since it was being replaced.

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Deputy State's Attorney Ross Aldentaler said since it was surplus property, no restitution was sought, but Grant was fined $500, which is a higher fine than one would normally see on a misdemeanor property damage charge. In other cases, Aldentaler said, the fine might be $150 to $200. Grant received a 30-day suspended jail sentence with credit for the one day he spent in jail and will be on unsupervised probation. In addition to the fine, he must pay $78.50 in court costs and will be on probation for one year. He also received a suspended imposition, which means if he follows through with his probation requirements, his case will be sealed and the conviction won't be on his record.

While on probation, Grant will have to abide by certain conditions, many of which are typical. They include completing a mental health evaluation and paying fines and court costs. But another condition is that he must notify the sheriff's office if he plans to visit the courthouse. Aldentaler said Magistrate Judge Cullen McNeece added that stipulation. Aldentaler said McNeece also allowed the suspended jail sentence because Grant is a veteran.

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In addition to property damage, bond paperwork also listed disorderly conduct and possession of a dangerous weapon in the courthouse as initial charges from law enforcement. But the only charge filed by the state's attorney's office was property damage. Aldentaler said because the damage occurred when Grant was alone in the room with the election equipment, it didn't qualify as disorderly conduct. And, Aldentaler said, the hammer didn't qualify as a dangerous weapon.

Safety and security are priorities for coming elections

Since the incident, McNickle said she and Brown County Commission Chairman Duane Sutton have been in conversation with the sheriff's office making sure there's a safe and secure environment during ballot counting for the next election.

The next time that will happen is during the primary election on June 7. The process is open to the public, McNickle said, and will continue to be open to the public. But, she said, while she wants to maintain transparency when it comes to the process, she also wants an environment that's safe.

Details about the Groton Mayor's race

Groton's mayoral election is April 12. Voting on that day is at the Groton Community Center, 109 N. Third St. Absentee voting begins Monday, which is also the last day people can register for that election and be eligible to vote. Absentee voting is available at city hall, 120 N. Main St.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: South Dakota mayoral candidate smashed election computer with a hammer