Bon Homme County sheriff’s deputy Mark Maggs, 31, was fired this past Tuesday after winning the Republican primary where he went against his boss, Sheriff Lenny Grankow.
According to The Argus Leader, both Maggs and Grankow were the only ones running, meaning the victory would ensure Maggs becoming the sheriff as he received 73 percent of the vote, 878 to 331.
Maggs posted a picture of his termination letter to his Facebook. The letter was time stamped a minute after the polls closed.
The letter stated:
“As of this moment, you are no longer an employee of Bon Homme County.”
At the end of the termination letter Maggs was ordered to turn in county-owned equipment by 5 p.m. the following day.
According to KFOR,
“When I got back to my election party and told my wife, she was very emotional,” said Maggs, who has been with the department since 2013. “It hit her hard. We knew that meant, coming at the end of the month, we’d be losing health insurance.”
The couple have four children under 7.
Maggs ran for sheriff on a platform of getting tough on drugs, getting more involved with local youth and delivering better service. He said he was warned he could be fired when he announced his intention to run.
Maggs ran for sheriff on a platform of getting tough on drugs, getting more involved with local youth and delivering better service.
When Maggs started to tun against Grankow, he was advised there would be a chance that Maggs would be fired.
South Dakota is an at-will state which means Grankow legally has the power to fire Maggs at will.
Since news broke, an online petition was created and has over 1,800 signatures. Maggs support did not stop there. Bon Homme County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page has received countless one star reviews and comments. Those outraged did not stop there according to WashingtonPost, stating that both the non-emergency phone number (605) 589-3942 as well as 911 have received complaints.
