MITCHELL, S.D. (KELO.com) — A Mitchell man who did not comply with a mask mandate at a Mitchell School Board meeting in September 2020 and refused to leave when asked to do so is scheduled to be in court for a second trial Monday.
Reed Bender is charged with a Class 2 misdemeanor count of entering or refusing to leave property after notice. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail.
However, Davison County State’s Attorney Jim Miskimins says he is not seeking jail time for Bender.
Judge Kasey Sorenson will decide the case after denying Bender’s request for a jury trial. A previous jury trial on a different charge against Bender ended up in a hung jury late last year.
(Billy Lurken, KMIT, contributed this report.)