Man faces assault, burglary charges

Joel Cornelison, 33, of Hill City, was arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated assault and one count of first degree burglary in response to an incident on Allen Gulch Road in Hill City Feb 12. 

Charges are pending for others involved in the incident. 

First responders and law enforcement responded to a call early morning Saturday at a residence on Allen Gulch Road in Hill City. Initial reports were of shots fired in the area. Neighbors in the vicinity of the incident say they were woken up by the influx of vehicles on their street while it was still dark out, estimating it to be around 5-5:30 a.m. Responding law enforcement personnel found blood and numerous spent casings on the scene.

Some neighbors say they witnessed people scattering down Allen Gulch Road. They also watched as Life Flight landed in the 1880 Train vicinity.

The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office said that it did not appear that anyone had been shot but that some involved had “minor injuries” as a result of a physical fight. 

In speaking with Hill City Mayor Kathy  Skorzewski early Saturday morning she said her immediate concerns were with the safety of the citizens.  She and her staff were worked closely with the sheriff’s office. 

Residents in the vicinity of Alen Gulch and the Catholic church were asked to stay in place until the area was marked off by police. A South Dakota Highway Patrol Trooper and a deputy from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office had the area cordoned off while investigators were on the scene. 

The mayor had notified law enforcement of any elderly people in the area in case of a medical emergency. The town also sent out two Code Red alerts detailing the nature of the incident.

“We’re making sure we continue to be concerned  about the safety of our people,” Skorzewski said, adding that normal Hill City patrols were still on duty.

“This is a huge weekend for us. We’re expecting a lot of people,” she said last Saturday morning.

This is not the first incident that has occurred at this Allen Gulch  residence. Hill City Volunteer Fire crews responded to a fire at the property Jan. 21. The fire was contained to the detached garage and no injuries occurred.

Residents packed the Feb. 14 Hill City Common Council meeting demanding answers as to why the city hasn’t responded to the  problems in the house that they say the city has known about for two years.  

“We’re terrified,” said Terri Grunendike, who spoke at length about the ordeal of living in this neighborhood. “They’ve walked in my yard. They’ve stolen my property. We want something done.”

And she was not alone. Many described the inability to feel safe in their own homes, being locked in during the day and night with window shades drawn, not being able to sleep out of fear. Residents were unhappy with the lack of communication the city has provided them regarding the property, saying that since a meeting in July there has been virtually no further  communication from the city. City attorney, Katelyn Cook explained the uniqueness of this case; the house’s owner is deceased and the estate has yet to go through a probate process. 

Cook also made it clear that the city can’t do anything about the people in the house but may have an avenue to deal with the house itself if it can present a clear enough argument to a judge that warrants a right to condemn the property or to deem the property inhabitable. The attorney had no clear cut time frame for this to take place.

“I can’t tell you when I can get in front of a judge, “ said Cook. Cook noted that nothing has been filed as of yet. 

Hill City Common Council President Dale Householder was “ appalled nothing has been filed.” He also asked for extra patrols by the sheriff’s office.

“This is a crisis,” he said. 

Cook offered to post on the property and to send a certified letter to the address. She will also ask the court to be able to get into the property so the town can  identify if there are building code violations. If there are, the city can deem it inhabitable and anyone found on the property in the future would be in violation of  trespass laws.

“We can try to do it that way,” said Cook.

According to the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office this is an ongoing investigation. 

Cornelison made his initial appearance in court Feb. 15. He is being held without bond.