Bond set at $5,000 for Fort Pierre man

Bond has been set at $5,000 for a Fort Pierre man who promised a judge that he would behave if he got out of jail.

Flint David Dahl, 22, is expected to be released today from the Hughes County Jail after the cash bond is posted. His father handed defense attorney Bernie Duffy the money after bond was set by Judge Mark Smith during a Wednesday afternoon hearing in the Stanley County Courthouse.

Dahl faces a variety of charges in the four cases such as ingesting, leaving the scene of an accident and threatening a law enforcement officer. The other case is felony grand theft and misdemeanor inhumane treatment of an animal involving the theft of Dually, a rodeo barrel racing horse, on July 5 from the Stanley County Fairgrounds. The horse, owned by Wendy Halweg, suffered multiple injuries in the incident.

The $5,000 cash bond is being used for that case while the rest of the offenses require only a personal recognizance.

Dahl has been in jail since November after being arrested in a fourth separate case and having his bond revoked. Dahl also has just returned from more than a month of inpatient substance abuse treatment at the Human Services Center in Yankton.

Both Duffy and Stanley County State’s Attorney Tom Maher, Jr. told Smith they agreed that Dahl could be released. Dahl also wrote a letter to Smith, Duffy and Maher promising that he would change his behavior.

Duffy told Smith that he had a good “man to man” visit with Dahl. “I think he is on the mend,” Duffy told the judge. “I would be completely flabbergasted if he let you down.”

While out of jail, Duffy will work at a ranch about 38 miles from Fort Pierre and will continue to undergo outpatient treatment and counseling. Smith also issued several other conditions for bond such as 24/7 sobriety tests, not entering bars and drinking establishments and allowing law enforcement to test him and search his property at any time.

Smith told Dahl he was not planning to give him bond, but the letter changed his mind. Holding up the letter, Smith said to Dahl: “Hopefully you are not lying to me.”

A status hearing on all four cases is set for 2 p.m. Feb. 10.