FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Contact: Tony Mangan, Communications Director, 605-773-6878

PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that a Mitchell, S.D., woman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, with eight years suspended, after earlier pleading guilty to one count of Sexual Contact With a Person Incapable of Consent.

Stacy Jo Johnson, 50, was sentenced Tuesday in Davison County Circuit Court. She had earlier pled guilty to the sexual contact charge. A second count of Sexual Contact with a Person Incapable of Consent was dismissed as part of a plea bargain.

The maximum sentence was 10 years in prison. Both the Attorney General’s Office and the victim’s family requested a sentence closer to the maximum sentence.

Johnson was charged with engaging in sexual contact with a person, 16 years old or older, who was incapable of giving consent. The incident occurred in July 2023 at LifeQuest in Mitchell where Johnson was an employee and the victim was a resident.

As part of the plea bargain, Johnson agreed to have her name placed on the federal exclusion list for healthcare providers which prohibits her from working at any federally-funded healthcare facility. She also was fined $1,000 and will have to register as a sex offender.

Investigation of the case was done by Mitchell Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office.

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