Jun 15, 2021

Federal judge charges US marshals in vaccination dispute

Posted Jun 15, 2021 5:18 PM

ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) — A federal judge in South Dakota criminally charges three members of the U.S. Marshals Service with contempt of court and obstructing justice, after a dispute with a marshal who refused to disclose her COVID-19 vaccination status and removed prisoners from a courthouse.

The Aberdeen American News reports that U.S. District Judge Charles Kornmann charged three supervisory law enforcement officers, including the agency’s Chief of Staff John Kilgallon.

The officers allegedly allowed a deputy marshal to leave the courthouse in Aberdeen, South Dakota, with prisoners in tow on May 10 after the marshal refused to tell the judge whether she had been vaccinated against COVID-19.