FLANDREAU, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says he respects a jury’s decision to clear a consultant of drug charges over helping an American Indian tribe develop a marijuana resort on tribal land.
Eric Hagen was cleared of three felony charges after the jury deliberated just a couple of hours Wednesday. Hagen and his company consulted with the Flandreau Santee Sioux in 2015 on the project, which eventually fizzled as the tribe burned its crop amid fear of a federal raid.
Jackley opposed the project from the start. In a statement, he urged other tribes in South Dakota to consider that such marijuana growing operations can affect public health and safety.
The verdict is a setback for Jackley, one of two prominent Republicans running for governor next year.
credit:kmit.com
