Bon Homme sheriff deputy not surprised by termination letter on election day

Danielle Ferguson | Argus Leader

Mark Maggs' Tuesday was full of mixed emotions.

He was relieved to receive 73 percent of Bon Homme County's vote to become the next sheriff during Tuesday's primary elections.

He was disheartened to receive a letter of termination from his current sheriff just one minute after the polls closed, telling him to turn in all of the county's equipment by 5 p.m. the next day.

Maggs, a deputy with the Bon Homme County Sheriff's Office, ran against current sheriff Lenny Gramkow for the top position. The men were the only two running for office, and Maggs' victory will get him a four-year term as sheriff starting in January.

He received a message from the sheriff Tuesday afternoon to attend a mandatory meeting at 7 p.m. that night, Maggs said Thursday.

He showed up to the meeting and was handed the termination letter at 7:01 p.m.

Maggs posted the letter to Facebook on Tuesday night and the post has since been shared about 300 times and reached social media users across the country, something Maggs didn't expect to happen. The 31-year-old Pennsylvania native had posted it with the intent of providing updates to family and friends back home.

"Mark Maggs: This letter is to inform you that effective immediately you are terminated from the position of deputy sheriff for Bon Homme County. As of this moment you are no longer an employee of Bon Homme county. Please turn in all equipment belonging to Bon Homme County by 5 p.m. on June 6, 2018. Signed Lenny Gramkow, Bon Homme County Sheriff."

A timestamp showed the letter was delivered at 7:01 p.m., one minute after polls closed, but before election results rolled in around 9:45 p.m.

"Then when I got back to my election party and told my wife, she was very emotional," Maggs said. "It hit her hard. We knew that meant coming at the end of the month we'd be losing health insurance."

With four kids under the age of 7, that was worrying for the Maggs family.

South Dakota's right-to-work status allows for employers to fire employees without just cause, giving sheriffs the right to hire and fire as they please.

Analysis: How Noem galloped to victory in the final two weeks

Gramkow did not respond to requests for comment on the letter or reason for termination.

Maggs wasn't too surprised at the termination. He told Gramkow he intended to run the day he took out a petition, and termination had been brought up in that conversation, Maggs said.

Maggs wanted to run for sheriff because he felt he could improve service to the taxpayers, he said. He ran with the focus of getting more involved with local youth, getting tough on drugs and bettering relationships with local and state agencies. He comes from a family of law enforcement: two of his brothers are Pennsylvania State Troopers, his grandfather was a county sheriff and his father is a district judge.

Maggs' post is filled with comments – about 300 – showing support, congratulating him on his win and expressing disappointment in the current leadership.

Commenters didn't stop with Maggs' post. Hundreds went over to the Bon Homme County Sheriff's Facebook page to leave a one-star rating and drop a review, most of which were directed toward Gramkow rather than the department as a whole, with some calling for Gramkow to step down.

A few people went as far as starting a petition to get Maggs rehired on the department. As of Thursday afternoon, almost 1,500 people had signed.

Maggs had declined media interviews until after speaking with the Bon Homme County Commission, which met Thursday, but his story went nationwide before he even spoke with any media.

The sheriff's office – made up of the sheriff, two deputies and five dispatcher-jailers – has been overflowing with phone calls. The county's 911 system has been tied up and the auditor's office is being inundated with emails.

Maggs is hoping by speaking out, people will know he and his family are going to be OK.

"We’re going to be fine," he said over the phone Thursday. "Stop calling the sheriff’s office; those guys still have a job to do."

Maggs is now in a tricky position, in the limbo of waiting to take over the office from which he was just fired. Maggs joined the department in 2013. He chatted with Bon Homme County commissioners Thursday, he said, who told him they will help him figure out a plan of action. The commission plans to have a special meeting next Thursday to discuss the matter further.

Messages seeking comment from the Bon Homme County Commission or State's Attorney were not immediately returned.

OTHER ELECTION NEWS: