Sheriff's deputy fired after running against boss in race for sheriff

BON HOMME COUNTY, South Dakota (KSAZ) - A sheriff's deputy in one South Dakota county is fired, after he ran against the sheriff in a primary election.

Fear not, however, as the deputy will soon return to his old workplace.

In a post made on his Facebook profile Tuesday, Mark Maggs said he was fired by Bon Homme County Sheriff Lenny Gramkow, on the same day Maggs defeated Gramkow in a primary election for county sheriff.

In the signed letter, Gramkow wrote that the termination was immediate, and also ordered Maggs to turn in all equipment belonging to Bon Homme County by the end of business next day.

According to his profile, Maggs has served as a sheriff's deputy since March 2013. A campaign platform posted to his Facebook profile states he plans to attacking the drug problem in Bon Homme County, along with adding a K9 to the department.

Unofficial results from South Dakota's Secretary of State show Maggs won 73% of the 1,209 votes cast by voters, while Gramkow won 27%. As Gramkow and Maggs are the only two candidates running for the position, this means Maggs will be the county's next sheriff.

According to a news article by Sioux Falls-based newspaper Argus Leader, the letter was time-stamped at 7:01 p.m. (all times local), a minute after polls closed., and election results came in at around 9:45 p.m.

As of Friday, 1,815 people signed a petition on change.org, asking county commissioners in Bon Homme County to reinstate Maggs. The petition noted that while Maggs will be sheriff on January 1, 2019, he has four young children who have now lost insurance benefits.

As for the firing, an article by the Associated Press notes that South Dakota is an at-will state, where employees can be fired without cause, with exceptions.