The South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, as seen on Jan. 9, 2023. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)
Teresa Bittinger is no longer warden of the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.
Department of Corrections (DOC) employees got an email late Tuesday evening from Director of Prisons Amber Pirraglia announcing the warden’s departure. Within minutes, the email was posted to a Facebook group for the friends and families of inmates. The email was sent independently to South Dakota Searchlight by sources connected to the DOC.
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“This decision was made after careful consideration and in alignment with the goals and standards of the department,” Pirraglia wrote.
The email goes on to say that Pirraglia will serve as interim warden, and that a “nationwide search is underway” to find wardens for the South Dakota State Penitentiary and the maximum security Jameson Annex, which is located on the Sioux Falls prison site.