The Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office is dropping all charges against NDN Collective founder and CEO Nick Tilsen after a jury deadlocked in his January trial. Tilsen had faced an aggravated assault charge and a misdemeanor obstruction count stemming from a 2022 incident in downtown Rapid City. The charges carried a potential penalty of more than 20 years in prison.
Tilsen said he feels relieved and grateful for the public support he received. State’s Attorney Lara Roetzel said the jury’s inability to reach a verdict was a key factor in deciding not to retry the case, adding prosecutors acted based on the evidence and the law and still believe the charges were appropriate.
Tilsen disputed that, calling the case politically motivated and saying the allegations were “baseless.”
Roetzel said the decision to dismiss the case was not influenced by public pressure.
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