Noem commutes 7 sentences on Christmas Eve

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Gov. Kristi Noem granted seven commutations the day before Christmas for people serving time in the state penitentiary for violent crimes and drugs.

The prison sentences were commuted to parole for the remainder of their sentence term with “appropriate precautions in place, which include electronic monitoring, intensive parole supervision plans, and a return to prison for parole violations,” according to a release from the governor’s office. They will also be under GPS monitoring and SCRAM units (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring devices that alert if an offender is using alcohol).

“These seven individuals have each earned a second chance,” Noem explained in the release. “Each of these individuals has demonstrated a low risk of recidivism. They are being released with precautions in place such as electronic monitoring and parole supervision to help them succeed.”

The seven individuals are:

Danielle Blakney - Sentenced to eight years (four suspended) for drug charges in Lawrence County.
Jamie Christine Bosone - Sentenced to four years and nine months (one year suspended) for drugs near Mitchell. Bosone, who is from Arizona, was selling drugs (including fentanyl) out of an RV.
Jerome R. Ferguson - Sentenced to four years and six months (two years suspended) for drugs (including cocaine) near Mitchell.
Britni Jean Goodhart - Sentenced to four years, five months (two years suspended) for drugs near Aberdeen.
Connie Hirsch – Convicted of first-degree manslaughter in Blunt, for shooting her husband in the head after an argument. Hirsch was sentenced to 32 years, five months.
Tammy Kvasnicka – Convicted of first-degree manslaughter after a drunk driving crash near Sioux Falls. She was sentenced to 58 years with 22 and half suspended. Kvasnicka also got 10 years for vehicular battery, with all 10 suspended.
Whitney Renae Turney – The Oacoma woman was sentenced to 22 years three months for stabbing a man to death.

The release claimed that these seven people followed prison rules, “showing a great propensity for success on parole supervision.”