Sentences issued in Dahl cases

By David Montgomery
Capital Journal staff
Published/Last Modified on Thursday, May 27, 2010 - 12:46:02 am CDT

FORT PIERRE — Wendy Halweg won’t forget the night of July 4, 2009, when her horse was seriously injured after a Fort Pierre man rode off on its back.

Now that Fort Pierre man won’t soon forget July 4, either.

Flint Dahl, 23, will spend the next three Fourth of July holidays in jail as part of a creative sentence handed down by Magistrate Judge Mark Smith.

“You’re going to serve five days in jail consecutively starting at 9 o’clock in the morning on the Fourth of July 2010, 2011 and 2012,” Smith said. “You’ll remember why you’re there.”

Dahl was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to four misdemeanors in a plea agreement with prosecutor Tom P. Maher.

As part of the deal Maher dropped a felony grand theft charge and six other misdemeanors.

In total, Dahl was sentenced to 570 days in jail. He received credit for 28 days he spent behind bars after violating his bond agreement in November and 32 days he spent receiving inpatient alcohol treatment in Yankton.

In addition to the 15 days in jail he will serve over the next three years, Dahl has 495 days in jail suspended. If he breaks the law during the next three years — when he’ll be on unsupervised probation — Smith said he wouldn’t hesitate to toss him back behind bars.

He also agreed to pay $25,000 restitution to Halweg. In return, Halweg agreed not to sue Dahl for damages to the horse.

Dahl’s attorney Patrick Duffy said Dahl had handed over the restitution money and Halweg would have access to it Monday.

Dahl will continue to take twice-daily blood alcohol level tests until Aug. 25 and has to complete his alcohol treatment. He also has to complete 100 hours of community service by Nov. 24.

The charges arose from four separate cases, the most serious being the Fourth of July rodeo horse incident. Dahl pled guilty to inhumane treatment of an animal in that case and avoided the grand theft charge.

For an Aug. 2009 confrontation with a sheriff’s deputy, Dahl pled guilty to disorderly conduct, a Class 2 misdemeanor. Dropped were charges of threatening and obstructing a law enforcement officer.

From a Sept. 2009 hit-and-run accident, Dahl pled guilty to reckless driving, a Class 1 misdemeanor. He avoided charges of hit-and-run property damage and failure to report an accident.

Dahl also admitted to ingesting marijuana, a Class 1 misdemeanor, stemming from a drug test taken after a Nov. 2009 traffic stop. Maher dropped charges from the same incident of driving a commercial vehicle under the influence and lacking a commercial driver’s license.

Maher, Duffy and Halweg all said they are satisfied with Smith’s sentence.

“I know if it was me or my children, if I had to give up a week for the next three years on the Fourth of July week, it would give me cause to think about why am I here and what did I do,” Maher said. “Within the sentence that was something I thought was tailor-designed for this case.”

Duffy urged Smith to give Dahl a suspended sentence, which would leave open the possibility of Dahl’s record being expunged in the future. Dahl, Duffy argued, had already been heavily punished in the court of public opinion.

“I can think of few people that I know who have been more terribly and recklessly savaged in the press than my client Flint Dahl,” Duffy said. “No matter what we do here today, in 20 years, somebody’s going to be able to tap into (Google) and read everything every crazy cowboy who didn’t know what he was talking about had to say about this.”

Smith rejected that request, saying justice required a stiffer sentence.

When talking about the horse incident, Dahl and Duffy defended Dahl’s conduct.

“As far as I know I didn’t inhumanely treat an animal. I just didn’t tie it up properly,” Dahl told Smith.

Duffy said he believes Dahl could have beaten the charges related to the horse incident if the case had gone to trial, but admitted to the inhumane treatment charge simply to avoid the chance of being convicted of a felony.

Maher argued Dahl’s crime was not so much tying up a horse poorly but continuing to ride it after it was injured.

“Here’s an animal that’s obviously injured — he continued to ride it,” Maher said.

Halweg’s horse, named Dually, suffered significant injuries in the incident and is still lame in its left-front leg, Halweg said.

“Flint, I want you to understand what this has done to us (Dually and I) physically and emotionally,” Halweg wrote in a statement Assistant Attorney General Bridget Mayer read to the court. “You’ve destroyed what has taken us years to build. Dually and I are teammates, and will continue to be, but you’ve taken us from competitors to patient and caregiver.”

The $25,000 in restitution won’t cover all her costs as a result of the incident, Halweg said.

“It’ll cover some bills, is what it will do,” she said.

Maher said the Dually incident inspired more public passion than any case he’s dealt with.

“I heard and I saw those comments about how what one person does would somehow be reflected on the whole community — the sense that Fort Pierre’s not safe,” Maher said. “Frankly every community has risks. Every community has some bad apples. I thought it was just a bunch of nonsense. Things had gotten really just quite out of hand and taken probably to an exaggerated degree because an animal had been hurt.”

But Maher said he understands the passion.

“What do you have invested in a child? It’s probably not much different than that, in terms of everyday training on this horse,” he said. “That was unique and something that certainly made it different than, say, a vehicle that had been taken and gone on a joyride and run into a post or something.”

Dahl, Duffy and Dahl’s second attorney, Bernard Duffy, argued his spate of four criminal incidents in a four-month period were due to an alcohol problem that is now under control.

“I know what I did was wrong,” Dahl said. “It was all alcohol involved, all the trouble I got in. I’ve been sober since the day Officer (Mike) Rothschadl arrested me and sent me to jail (in November).”

“(Dahl) pursued me and insisted that he be sent somewhere for treatment,” Bernard Duffy said. “I just don’t think, your honor, that you’re ever going to see Flint back in the courtroom again.”

Maher and Halweg both said they hope Dahl’s sentence deters future crime.

“We want to put the word out,” Maher said. “If it is fairly well known that it’s a wine-drinking crazy day Fourth of July in Fort Pierre, that’s not okay. Maybe there should be some amount of deterrence for anyone who would think that it would be okay to do any sort of (criminal) behavior.”

But Maher said it’s too early to say if the sentence will keep Dahl on the straight and narrow.

“Whether this will be enough to correct Flint so he can stay out of the court system, only time will tell that,” Maher said.

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Comments

104 comment(s)

not surprised wrote on Jun 10, 2010 3:12 PM:

" How many other crimes has Maher ignored?! You'd be surprised!! Such an embarrassment for Stanley County!!! "

agree with Speedy wrote on Jun 8, 2010 3:31 PM:

" Alot of people tie their horses to their trailers or find a place to board their animals for the night. Do you think she removed her keys from her pickup or locked up her horse trailer? It's too bad this didn't go to trial, I would have loved to have seen the outcry if Flint was found not guilty. Then who would the mob blame? "

WATCHER wrote on Jun 8, 2010 9:12 AM:

" 15 days in jail for taking a horse without permission, and damageing it beyond repair. 15 days for wrecking a truck and leaving the scene. 15 days for assulting an officer at a drunken party. 15 days for driving a semi, drunk and doped. And who payed the 25k?? Unless ft pierre votes These legal officials out of office, you will continue to see this good ole boy justice continue. Over 100 comments on this. Think about that. "

Andrew Pietrus wrote on Jun 4, 2010 6:41 PM:

" This might come as a surprise to some people but the reason crimes have fines and jail time attached is because if you can't pay the fine you do the time. This is not injustice or corruption of the system it is how it was set up. "

ft pierre resident wrote on Jun 4, 2010 10:36 AM:

" To HUH!! If you can be so ignorant as to think that it is all of Ft Pierres fault, that there is a bad apple in town. Then please STAY out of Ft PIerre we do not NEED nor WANT you in our community. "

seriously wrote on Jun 3, 2010 7:49 PM:

" After reading most of these comments I feel like there are a lot of people making comments who do not know what they are talking about. This has obviously been a trial close to the hearts of Ft Pierre residents and horse lovers, but some of these comments, specifically negative about the judge and state's attorney are very juvenile. Maher is a Fort Pierre resident and has served well as Stanley County's States Attorney for many years. He has done his job and has worked with what substantial evidence there was - not just gossip. "

To Andrew Pietrus wrote on Jun 3, 2010 4:29 PM:

" WHO are you kidding? Wendy already got her $$....from Daddy Dave. PLUS she got LOTS of money from fundraisers. All I'm saying is putting Flint in jail would not have had any bearing on her getting restitution! "

to Laci wrote on Jun 3, 2010 2:07 PM:

" Like it or not. Animals are property. Thats the law. And yes, they are animals. Alot of us love our animals and they become "part of our family" but they are still realistically and legally animals. "

wha-hut wrote on Jun 3, 2010 1:56 PM:

" We all knew from the beginning that he'd get off. Failure to tie the horse properly?--he wouldnt have to tie him up if he hadn't STOLEN him first! And as far as blaming Wendy for taking the money, dont you suppose she just wanted an end to this and could see that the justice system was NOT working in Dually's favor? Something was better than nothing when it comes to humongous vet bills. Poor girl, poor horse. Sad, sad excuse for a human being in Flint, sad excuse for justice. "

Andrew Pietrus wrote on Jun 3, 2010 11:52 AM:

" Maybe some of you have missed the idea that if Flint was sitting in Jail Wendy would get ZERO restitution because he couldn't be out making money. It couldn't have happened both ways unless, at least not at the same time. If Flint had gone to jail or prison then restitution would have to wait and that doesn't sound appealing to me and probably didn't for Wendy. In the end, this case was settled by those most involved and it is their judgment that counts most! How bout the rest of us take a step back! "

zzzzz wrote on Jun 3, 2010 11:42 AM:

" i totally agree with Laci!!!! You Said IT PERFECTLY!!!!!!! he is an animal abuser! "

Laci wrote on Jun 3, 2010 9:14 AM:

" To "crazy" who wrote "This is CRAZY! ITS A HORSE!" and it is a piece of property. Have you never owned an animal??? Pets aren't just a piece of property. They live and breath just like us, they hurt and feel like us. Why don't you let someone tie you up and beat you senseless. "

zzzzzz wrote on Jun 3, 2010 9:03 AM:

" to funny thing..... Flint still is a screw up and always will be! there right the next thing he will do is kill someone and what will they do slap him on the hand again cause his family has $ to bail him out.... "

Reply to Huh wrote on Jun 2, 2010 10:45 PM:

" Please let it be known that you do not speak for ALL cowgirls and cowboys. You are one person with one voice, and you do have the right to express YOUR voice. BUT please do not lump all of us cowgirls and cowboys into one group. I would personally never boycott any Ft. Pierre rodeo. Ft. Pierre is a legendary town, and I am personally proud that our state has such a place to be proud of. "

Diane Bentz wrote on Jun 2, 2010 10:39 PM:

" I am totally disgusted by this incident and the Lawyers representing Mr. Dahl. It goes to show one just how little these Lawyers know about animals and compassion and right and wrong, alot of people will see their lack of sense as a sign that they would not be a good lawyer to have, it is scarey to think that a so called upstanding Lawyer would make a stupid comment about "dumb cowboys who dont know what they are talking about." I see it as more of "Dumb Lawyers"as many will agree with me. "

Cowboy Up wrote on Jun 2, 2010 6:56 PM:

" Sounds like Old Bernie Duffy and his son handled this case pretty well, don't you think? (It wasn't long ago when some of you crazier posters had all sorts of negative things to say about Bernie. Quiet now, though, aren't you?)

The real hero is Tom Maher. It takes a lot of guts and maturity to handle a case well when an ignorant mob thinks you ought to do otherwise. "

Speedy wrote on Jun 2, 2010 6:54 PM:

" If the horse was so valuable, why was he left loose in the arena and not secured in a stall? "

To All that want to blame Ft. Pierre or boycott Ft. Pierre rodeo wrote on Jun 2, 2010 6:14 PM:

" To all you people that want to boycott Ft. Pierre rodeo or are blaming Ft. Pierre for this, pull your head out of your butts. There is no excuse for being that pathetic. ONE incident happens out of how many rodeos were held in Ft. Pierre and you want to boycott it? REDICULOUS and VERY overdramatic. "

TO HUH wrote on Jun 2, 2010 4:31 PM:

" Like I said, "worth their salt" Know where that puts you? I still think you are PETA affiliated. Sorry for the spelling. I don't plan on boycotting so did'nt know I had to spell it right. Time to move on. I'll not waste another comment here. Time will tell but I figure there will be lots on sensible western people in Ft. Pierre attending the rodoes they put on. If you don;t want to come its your loss. "

Funny thing wrote on Jun 2, 2010 1:52 PM:

" Do you all know that Wendy had a say in is plea agreement? She could have said no to the punishment he got to make it a harsher one. She is the one that agreed to the $25,000 "pay off". So why dont we all let it go and go on with our lives! "

Huh wrote on Jun 2, 2010 1:18 PM:

" This is to "to bouycotters". First it is spelled BOYcott. Second, if you don't think that the cowboys and cowgirls don't blame Fort Pierre, YOU are sadly misinformed. Every Cowboy and Cowgirl should and WILL think twice about attending a rodeo where it is a KNOWN FACT that their horses are NOT SAFE from drunken idiots. If their horses aren't safe, are their trucks, trailers, and FAMILES safe from harm. I think not! Any town who ELECTS officials who LET DRUNKEN IDIOTS go free, deserves to BE BOYCOTTED! And no, I am NOT a member of PETA! "

Little Britches Rodeo wrote on Jun 2, 2010 12:39 PM:

" There was a Little Britches Rodeo held in Ft Pierre May 29-31st and its seems that nobody went and abused anyones horses. hmm maybe it was just that one bad apple that one time, so before you boycotters continue to say anything you might want to come check out the scene before you keep running your mouths fromo a distance. "

Told you so wrote on Jun 2, 2010 11:59 AM:

" We will see him in the papers again. He will screw up again, blame it on alcohol, and think he deserves special treatment. He should have had to answer to all the counts he was charged with. I have to say I am very surprised on the outcome of this case. It's disturbing how some can get away with so much. Wait until he kills someone driving drunk I guess. "

ft pierre resident wrote on Jun 2, 2010 6:53 AM:

" To Shame and us proud Ft. Pierre Residents are ashamed to have you live in Ft.Pierre. Why don't u move out & soon.All you whiners need to get a life. It is not Ft Pierres fault one young man took a horse and hurt it. It is HIS fault!! So leave Ft Pierre out of it & move on. "

Cant believe it wrote on Jun 1, 2010 9:35 PM:

" I am having a hard time digesting all of the hate being shown here. If people want to believe that it is the fault of Ft. Pierre because of the stupidity of a drunk taking a horse and abusing it then they are way off base. It sounds like the PETA crowd want to string this Dahl character up and call it justified. The same bunch complain that the DA didn't do his job. What a crock. And boycott Ft. Pierre? That will happen when pigs fly. Ft. Pierre cares no matter what the cry babies say. "

crazy people wrote on Jun 1, 2010 2:15 PM:

" If we boycotted every town who had a bad apple in it, there wouldn't be a single town or business left . You people crying for a boycott need to get your heads on straight and think before you type anymore foolishness! "

Salt wrote on Jun 1, 2010 1:46 PM:

" Anyone worth their "salt" would want the guy punished who ruined their horse. What Flint got was not punishment - it was nothing - this "incident" is a direct reflection on Ft. Pierre - like it or not. It is pretty clear that it is not safe for a horse at that fairgrounds - or this wouldn't have happened in the first place. "

Shame wrote on Jun 1, 2010 12:37 PM:

" What a travesty! This deal stinks more than the Fort Pierre city lagoons and the sale barn combined (at least on most days). How is a person supposed to learn anything if they're never held accountable for their actions?

Ashamed to say I live in Fort Pierre. "

to bouycotters wrote on Jun 1, 2010 12:21 PM:

" I think all these people on here that say to bouycot Ft. Pierre are PETA or affiliated with PETA. No cowboy or cowgirl worth their salt would blame Ft. Pierre, Ft. Pierre Rodeo, or anyone other than Flint for this. Also, they would move on. "

to K wrote on Jun 1, 2010 12:19 PM:

" Shame on you. Dave Dahl has helped so many kids get to rodeo. He is a good man with a big heart. There were items that as a kid I culd not afford so I could rodeo. Dave would say"pay me when you can"He did this for lots of kids. I will always support him and his shop. "

WOW wrote on Jun 1, 2010 8:55 AM:

" I can't believe how many charges were dropped in this case. Well, I guess I know where to go to drink & drive. "

Porky wrote on May 31, 2010 12:22 PM:

" "I thought it was just a bunch of nonsense." To me that is the qualitative comment from the state's attorney on this subject. He doesn't take it seriously and never did. Kudos to Judge Smith who did what he could to make Flint remember and consider what he's done. I know who Flint is and so does Ft. Pierre. He won't change. He'll kill someone or himself or maybe both before anyone does anything. "

fred wrote on May 30, 2010 3:36 PM:

" Whether or not you agree with the sentence given to Dahl..the fact that so many charges were reduced and dropped from four separate incidents is ludacris. These were totally unrelated, and should not have been lumped together. Maher completely dropped two DUIs, and law enforcement is constantly trying to get across how serioius DUIs are. Not really consistent with that message. Once again we see how inept the state's attorney is...hope people realize this at election time. "

Billy wrote on May 30, 2010 9:41 AM:

" I am glad he was convicted of animal abuse and had to pay her restitution. "

See what money buys wrote on May 28, 2010 9:45 PM:

" Well, now that we all know the law is lenient lets all go on a crime spree---Maher says every community has its bad apples--well you sir are the BIGGEST FATTEST ROTTENEST apple I have seen in the bunch. This kid will screw up again, and I am sure he will never see jail time. "

BOYCOTT wrote on May 28, 2010 7:02 PM:

" To the person who wrote to Horse Lover and Retired Rodeo Conteestant regarding boycotting the rodeo. This joke of justice has gone NATIONWIDE and if you don't think the PRCA cowboys and WPRA cowbgirls don't know or care about it, you are sadly mistaken. Hopefully, they will have the guts to tell Ft Pierre to "kiss off" and won't attend that rodeo. Boycott! Boycott! Boycott! And when that works don't forget to vote in the next election "

Wendy didnt settle wrote on May 28, 2010 4:18 PM:

" To those who think everything is alright because "Wendy agreed to the deal" you might want to pay better attention. Maher was bringing the charges, not Wendy. I bet she just wants to move on. "

K wrote on May 28, 2010 3:51 PM:

" I believe you need to boycott Dahl' saddle shop--stop the flow of money from buying the alcohol. And I disagree with Mr Duffy about the alcohol being the root of the problem. He is drinking to cover the root of the problem. If that problem is ever addressed, that will stop the alcohol abuse. Stopping drinking is not the problem. Until he faces the real demons, he will not recover. "

To Boycott wrote on May 28, 2010 9:42 AM:

" If you want to hurt someones pocket book you should be telling people to boycott the horse races we have in Ft Pierre every year beause that is where Maher would be taking a cut. I don't think it is going to hurt the citizens of Ft Pierre if you boycott our rodeo, you look at your own town and the bad apples there and think, this could have happened anywhere so get over the part that it happened in FT PIERRE SD! You people obviously look only at the bad and never at the good of things. "

Kiley Olson wrote on May 28, 2010 9:29 AM:

" I am so sad and sickened, but not surprised. We could see this coming 11 months ago. Boycott Ft. Pierre. "

crazy 2 wrote on May 28, 2010 9:25 AM:

" It's over-get over yourselves! This has been blown out of proportion from the start. If the prosection had a solid case, they wouldn't have settled for this plea. The injustice in this case is that there were others involved but Flint has taken the wrap. Since this horse was so valuable, I would think Wendy had it insured, she probably raked in some pretty good cash from Justice for Dually campaign, so $25,000 seems more than fair. I wonder how many vets "looked" at this horse or are all of these statements being made from one "expert"? "

blank wrote on May 28, 2010 9:13 AM:

" personal i know who flint is and HE WILL NEVER LEARN...and to the person who said its just a horse.... its a living thing... how about we let FLINT take you and abuse you???? its wrong and this kid will never learn bc he has mommy and daddy to bail him out every time... also makes Pierre & Ft.Pierre look really bad... just put him in jail and make him rot! "

Fort Pierre Boy wrote on May 28, 2010 9:07 AM:

" I think that justice has been served here and the comment about so called Fort Pierre law? Come on, its the same law we follow all over the state.
You brain children that think that this crime falls into the same category as a child molester or murder you need to get a grip. It is NOT. The law did what it needed to and worked in this case. Flint has to live with being the Horse Guy for the rest of his life. "

Happy wrote on May 28, 2010 7:10 AM:

" Sounds to me that wendy is more interested in the money then the justice of her horse. Maybe you should direct your comments to her, she took the deal. The deal was good enough for her, it should be good enough for everyone else. "

NOT SURPRIZED wrote on May 28, 2010 12:18 AM:

" WHAT A JOKE! If the powers that be in Fort Pierre are what they seem from the outside then it must be a HICK TOWN. Dahl will probably be the mayor some day. Somebody should have done something to somebody!!!! "

Example wrote on May 27, 2010 9:40 PM:

" I am so upset over this, but no I'm not surprised. I knew this would happen. Dahl ruins a horse (he's still not healed) and Wendy's life and he gets 15 days. This really sets an example doesn't it? I guess now anyone can go steal a horse, abuse it and only expect to serve 15 days. If I had a horse, I'd be afraid of leaving it at the Ft Pierre fairgrounds. If something should happen to the horse, there would be no justice. "

Mary A wrote on May 27, 2010 9:11 PM:

" I too was hoping for a much stronger punishment from our courts. However, if Wendy is satisfied I will be too. For those of you whinning that some of us may pay closer attention to this than child molestation or real crimes that are committed, how do you know that we don't? I decided to watch this one closely for several reasons - enjoy following barrel racing and having freinds involved in rodeo. However, I myself haven't been on a horse in 40 years so you can't really call me a horse lover or cowgirl! "

finally over wrote on May 27, 2010 8:57 PM:

" I do feel that this was justice. I hope that this young man can use the opportunity to begin to make some better choices in his life. People in the area will ALWAYS remember this event, which will make it much harder for him in the future. Just because he is not serving the time some think he should, does not mean he does not have his own demons to deal with everyday. "

its a joke wrote on May 27, 2010 7:32 PM:

" Can't believe Wendy settled for that. "

shamed wrote on May 27, 2010 6:23 PM:

" I once commented, "The man is more important than the horse," but this is a shameful and embarrassing sentencing. No one allows alcohol to control his life to this extent and then become so completely cured so quickly. Who are you fooling? Most of us see through this charade. We will also be watching. Sounds like he may be related to an ex-governor of SD. "

hmmm wrote on May 27, 2010 5:52 PM:

" The only thing I have to say is - I would hope the "Ronald McDonald" boys don't get more severe punishment than this case. This was a living breathing animal. It was a statue. A friend of mine had a great Idea - have them stand in front of McDonalds everyday and wave at cars. They could do that for 5 days for three years. "

Agree with unbilievable wrote on May 27, 2010 5:09 PM:

" I agree with you about frontier justice. 100 years ago if you stole a horse you were hung. Times have really changed. Maher had better find another place to be a lawyer. It might be hard because this case was being watched all over the United States. Let Dahl go with a slap on the wrist while drug dealers and child molesters get 15 years. WHAT A JOKE Ft. Pierre Law Is. "

Ruth wrote on May 27, 2010 4:44 PM:

" I think people who abuse animals, should
be sent to work with the Humaine Society. Where he can be there everyday and care for the animals. So he
can learn how special our pets are. I have adopted alot of peoples pets, because I have a big heart for all of them.
I hope and pray he learns from this. "

Finally wrote on May 27, 2010 4:04 PM:

" All I know is that I am glad this is over. Hopefully Flint can prove to people he is a good person by staying out of trouble. "

Jeff wrote on May 27, 2010 3:49 PM:

" What a flipping joke!!! I knew he would basically get off, so he has to go through the 24/7 for another couple of months and spend 5 days in jail for the next three years. I can't believe the States attorney is so WEAK! I always suspected they would slap his hand, I was right! Disgraceful! "

BOYCOTT wrote on May 27, 2010 3:45 PM:

" Bpycott, Boycott, Boycott. EVERY cowboy and cowgirl should boycott the rodeos and any horse events in Fort Pierre, SD And when the "good" people of the town are hurt in the pocketbooks, they can blame Maher and his "cronies". Hopefully, the intelligent people of that town will remember this well into ELECTION time! "

Sundown with Butch wrote on May 27, 2010 3:33 PM:

" My bet rides on the cowboys in Ft. Pierre and most of all the VACANCY light will be on for 3 years and he'll check in at some point. "

Dont be so dumb wrote on May 27, 2010 3:07 PM:

" This isn't about Ft. Pierre or any other town. It's about a screwed up kid that's never had to face up to his actions. I think his sentence is justified only I'd have put his butt behind bars for the entire summer for the next three years. June 1-Sept. 1, each year. Let him sit the nice months behind bars while rodeo season is in full swing and remind him daily why he's there. I also think since Wendy is satisfied with the outcome, we should all go on with our lives and give this thing a rest! "

jo wrote on May 27, 2010 2:43 PM:

" the law sure has changed since i lived there he got off to eay i would think that was some from of animal crurlty vick got more time for dog fighting then this guy did almost glad i dont live there anymore and i was born and rasied there "

ZZZ wrote on May 27, 2010 2:41 PM:

" Wow unsupervised???? Should of had to do twice-daily blood alcohol level tests for three years. What a joke "

horrified native wrote on May 27, 2010 2:05 PM:

" Its a good thing the court of public opinion handed out some punishment to this guy because the real one didn't do a thing, Failure to tie up a horse correctly, who are you kidding. "

Watchdog wrote on May 27, 2010 2:03 PM:

" I tend to agree with the majority of the comments.....how can it be said that justice was served? I applaude Judge Smith on his inventiveness for a sentence, but I also must critisize him for suspending the majority of it. This kid has been regularily "bailed" out by his family and has never had to be accountable for his actions. I can only imagine what might have happened had he had to actually spend time with "REAL" criminals and not just weekend punks. "

old friend wrote on May 27, 2010 1:35 PM:

" Flint, I believe that you know what you did was wrong BUT did you LEARN anything from it? About the statement of being sober... Well I think if you are going to make a statement on record it should be 100% when you lie to others you lie to yourself. Take a good look at the company you keep and make some changes for you own good! "

Give it time wrote on May 27, 2010 11:09 AM:

" Just give him a little more time and we'll see him go to the pen for something. Luck always runs out on the ones who never learn. "

Crazy wrote on May 27, 2010 11:05 AM:

" This deal is a joke, I am sorry but he isn't ever going to learn if he keeps getting bought out of trouble.. He shouldn't have been able to make a deal. Not like he hasn't got in to trouble his whole life, he is just old enough now for his name to be in the paper.. I am sorry but I also believe that some people never change. "

watcher wrote on May 27, 2010 10:32 AM:

" VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!! You have a voice in this. Clean up your corrupted town. The publicity This case has brought to Ft Pierre is terrible. If You lose10% of your horse and rodeo trade you lose a large amount of revenue. If you want people to speak favorably of the town, clean out the politicians whos self intrests caused this. Who wants to compete in a town when you know how biased the judicial system is. VOTE< VOTE< VOTE. "

Concerned Citizen wrote on May 27, 2010 10:24 AM:

" I guess that means Mrs. Hirsch (who by the way killed her husband) will get 15 days served 5 days at a time on the anniversary of his death every year. Unbelievable. Hopefully Maher got rich off his daddy as he won't be reelected. "

What A JERK wrote on May 27, 2010 10:18 AM:

" He did not even appoligize to Wendy, what a jerk. His excuse is that he thought it was his friends horse. Even if the horse would have been his friends, is that how he treats things that belong to his friends? I just hope someday he gets what he has coming. My heart goes out to Wendy and Dually. "

What a Joke wrote on May 27, 2010 10:18 AM:

" This is plain stupid. An animal to some people are like their children, you alot of work into both but the animal learns alot
quicker and respects the owner/parent. As you say MONEY TALKS, let's just wait and see what or who he hurts next!!! "

to Horse Lover and retired rodeo contestant wrote on May 27, 2010 9:21 AM:

" Umm you are strongly mistaken on this "boycott" good luck getting everyone to join you.. your a "RETIRED rodeo contestant" so what are you worried about?! Fort Pierre also STRONGLY stands in the middle of RODEO country..and also a little FYI to you most wont be participating anyways because it is a PRO rodeo now not a SDRA! thanks and have a good day. "

crazy wrote on May 27, 2010 9:15 AM:

" This is CRAZY! ITS A HORSE! The worst part of this entire deal, is that horse raised more money through a fund raiser, than a little boy with Lukemia! Plus she got 25,000 dollars from Dahl. Its a horse, a piece of property, not a human being. Please take a second t stop and take a good look at yourself, examine the times you have wronged others. "

sickening wrote on May 27, 2010 8:18 AM:

" A little slap on the wrist for Dahl and A BIG slap in the face for Wendy and Dually! ! Part of the bills, WHY not ALL of the bills plus what Wendy will lose in further competitions?!? Justice has not been served. "

So sad wrote on May 27, 2010 8:17 AM:

" You have got to be kidding. Wendy and Dually have my sympathies. Flint has a rich daddy.

No Justice for Wendy and Dually. "

ranch girl wrote on May 27, 2010 8:15 AM:

" Why did Wendy accept the money?? She must have been happy? "

ft pierre resident wrote on May 27, 2010 7:57 AM:

" I am appaled at all of you that believe all the residents of Ft Pierre are all bad and don't care about your horses at the fairgrounds. This was one person 1 not the whole population. Just think how many rodeos has Ft Pierre had and nothing has happened. So something bad happens once and we should boycott Ft Pierre, what a joke u people are. Better u r a perfect person. "

Dianne Rheborg wrote on May 27, 2010 7:46 AM:

" Every time I read these comments I am amazed at the trashing Flints family gets. Any good parent would support their child . I'm glad Flint got help. Substance abuse is a rugged road and leads nowhere but down. If Dave has money I do know he worked hard for it. He has an amazing talent and has chosen to use it to support his family. You rarely walk into his shop and not catch him at work. If you guys all want his money, get up and go to work. "

finally wrote on May 27, 2010 7:46 AM:

" This was handled with some "horse sense" . I will vote for our states attorney again. Now I hope this Cyber-mob can move on. Too bad they don't think the same of child molesters. Talk about perspective. As far as the Ft Pierre rodeo, people will come. To have a rodeo somewhere is a privalige, not a right. It takes a lot of hard work and financing to have one. I believe the punishment fit the crime! "

Kevin Johnson wrote on May 27, 2010 7:42 AM:

" Pay up Dahl! At least cover the medical bills. Daddy can affford it. What a screw up! "

Sweeps wrote on May 27, 2010 7:33 AM:

" So how long do you think it'll be before Ms. Hallweg sees any big chunk of that $25K? Looks like Big Daddy pulled off another miracle. "

returned local wrote on May 27, 2010 7:08 AM:

" I can't believe that any one is surprised at how this turned out. You all know who runs Pierre and Ft. Pierre. It really makes a person proud to live is such a fine community where money wins over what is right and just. "

helen wrote on May 27, 2010 6:45 AM:

" Are you kidding? 15 days in jail for all the crap this man has done. $25,000 wow. What a laugh of the justice system. "

yep wrote on May 27, 2010 5:59 AM:

" Welcome to Hillbilly Heaven. "

wow wrote on May 27, 2010 2:58 AM:

" there are ways around the no drinking. i know many people in ft pierre who had to blow 2 times a day and after they went in at night they would go home and drink! "

Formerly FROM the area wrote on May 27, 2010 2:05 AM:

" And one last observation since you only get 100 words here - I believe this is what is called "Rehearsed Behavior" when it comes to the injuries on that horse. When this clown thinks he is free and clear again, he will take the next step and kill something. Maybe a horse, a cow, or maybe even a human. This joker is NOT REHABILITATED! As someone else mentioned, he did not get rehabilitated in that short period. Hold on to your boots because this guy will be back with a vengence. "

Glad to be FROM that area wrote on May 27, 2010 2:01 AM:

" In the 1960's I was charged with a far lesser crime. Not even a felony. Yet, MY JUDGE sentenced me to 6 months with NO TIME SUSPENDED! The ONLY thing that kept me from sitting it out was good old Uncle Sam drafted my rearend. That was the BEST deal I got. After nearly 2 years in Viet Nam, I came back a changed man AND a PRODUCTIVE CITIZEN. I have never heard of this Dahl family but if they have money, then they did this clown a big injustice. "

jen S wrote on May 27, 2010 12:37 AM:

" So apparently the judge in this case isn't aware of the link between animal cruelty & violence towards humans...the next victim may not be an animal. But sounds like daddy's money bailed him out...if he was my kid he'd wished he'd gone to jail "

Sad South Dakota Citizen wrote on May 27, 2010 12:25 AM:

" I'm deeply saddened that in our great state of South Dakota a judge, or attorneys would agree that this was/is an adequate punishment. I'm glad to say that I DON'T live in this part of the state. I personally think the punishment should fit the crime- this guy is getting off easy- what is deeply concerning is that if someone would do something like this to a horse- what will they do to a human that crosses them? I hope karma comes around to him sooner rather than later. "

Riggs wrote on May 26, 2010 10:23 PM:

" Its Ft Pierre or any other Cowboy town, ya got money no harm, how about the other 2 rich kids that never got charged..Its Ft Pierre ya gotta love it what a joke....yeah lets go run over some dogs tonight, but don't do it in Pierre.... "

Horse Lover and retired rodeo contestant wrote on May 26, 2010 9:48 PM:

" I can't beleive that Mr. Maher,Mr. Duffy and all the others that where connected to this could let this spoiled brat get away with a slap on the wrists. Big deal he paid Wendy $ 25,000. You know where that came from. I wonder who else he paid money to.I think all the contestants that have to haul a horse to the rodeo, Barrel Racers,Ropers etc, should boycott the Ft. Pierre 4th of July Rodeo. They don't care if our horses get mamed and crippled while we are aat their rodeo so why should we care about their rodeo. "

East River wrote on May 26, 2010 8:36 PM:

" This is an absolute TRAVESTY of justice!!! Enough said. "

Cowboy Up wrote on May 26, 2010 7:44 PM:

" Finally, justice. Judge Smith did the right thing. This case was always blown completely out of proportion by the mob that wouldn't let it die. Now we see, clearly, that there never was much of anything to this case at all. "

Roger wrote on May 26, 2010 7:21 PM:

" Money talks..............When he screws up again he might get a harsher sentence. "

mom wrote on May 26, 2010 7:15 PM:

" "DDF wrote on May 26, 2010 5:46 PM:

" Wow I'm glad this is over. The Crime of the Century! Murders and child molestation all over but everything comes to a stand still for a horse. "

How the horse was abused speaks to Dahl's character. It is what one does to a defenseless horse that shows how low one can stoop.

Justice NOT served. "

THIS IS JUSTICE wrote on May 26, 2010 7:14 PM:

" Sure enough, Ronald Mcdonald got more justice than Dually... PATHETIC and DISGUSTNG.....
I am ashamed of our states attorney. This whole deal SMELLS TO HIGH HEAVEN. I hope the honest citizens remember this BACKROOM DEAL at election time. "

Uh oh... wrote on May 26, 2010 7:08 PM:

" Uh oh....Maher needs to be job huntin right quick!! "

Dually Fan wrote on May 26, 2010 6:47 PM:

" Wow! Can't believe how this turned out. The case was ruled in favor of someone, unfortunately it wasn't for Dually & Wendy! Flint should have received jail time besides his ridiculous 15 days! I'm sorry Flint, everyone deserves another chance...but how many have you already had?! "

SD Rodeo Competitor wrote on May 26, 2010 6:38 PM:

" OMG! Cannot believe this. Lets just slap him on the hand and we'll see what kind of trouble he is in next!!! This is so sad! I wonder how much this slap on the hand cost the Dahl family? "

DDF wrote on May 26, 2010 5:46 PM:

" Wow I'm glad this is over. The Crime of the Century! Murders and child molestation all over but everything comes to a stand still for a horse. "

What a JOKE wrote on May 26, 2010 5:38 PM:

" How can you plead guilty to hurting the animal and NOT BE GUILTY of Grand Theft? The State Attorney is a JOKE and hopefully, the GOOD people of SD will remember this when he is up for election. Additionally, I do not believe for ONE minute that he has been rehabilitated with his short stint in "rehab". To the people of Ft Pierre, I certainly hope your relative is not the target of his drunken driving when he returns to the same old bad habits. Good Luck on that! "

dissappointed wrote on May 26, 2010 5:30 PM:

" poor kid cant go drinkin with friday or light off firecrackers for 3 years....they really stuck it to him! "

jerr wrote on May 26, 2010 5:23 PM:

" Boy, did you people get handed a bill of goods. 15 days jail time, almost makes me wanna hold up banks in Ft. Pierre, SD. I'm proud the be FROM there. "

Unbelieveable wrote on May 26, 2010 5:21 PM:

" What a friggin JOKE! Dahl got slapped on the wrist. I think frontier justice needs to come back!! "

citizen wrote on May 26, 2010 5:02 PM:

" I hope this big spoiled baby was given a no drink rule, curfew, and arrest on site
for violation clause in his sentence.
Not surprised by the result as most people knew the prosecutor was pretty lame on this. Had it not been who it was there would have been a felony conviction. At least the rodeo livestock will be safe for 3 years, to bad the people won't be. "

Stunned wrote on May 26, 2010 4:55 PM:

" Wow, that's it? This guy got off easy. "

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