MITCHELL — One person was taken into custody on Thursday following the execution of a federal search warrant on a Mitchell roofing business, prompting a large law enforcement agency response.
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms told the Mitchell Republic on Thursday night that the ATF was executing a federal search warrant with other agencies in Mitchell. ATF said one person was taken into custody in the execution of the warrant in Aurora County, about 15 miles west of Mitchell.
The contents of the warrant remain sealed, the spokesperson said, and the ATF has not disclosed the nature of the operation in Mitchell. Authorities did not name the individual taken into custody.
Throughout much of the afternoon and into the evening, law enforcement vehicles were parked in front of Mitchell Roofing and Siding, located at 1000 S. Main St. Patrol vehicles had emergency lights activated while parked in front of the business.
South Dakota Highway Patrol vehicles surround Mitchell Roofing and Siding on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023.
Sam Fosness / Mitchell Republic
Among the law enforcement agencies that were at Mitchell Roofing and Siding were the South Dakota Highway Patrol, South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation, Mitchell Police Department, Davison County Sheriff’s Office and several unmarked vehicles with police lights.
ATF confirmed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s investigative arm Homeland Security Investigations was also on hand. HSI is responsible for investigating criminal activity involving the United States’ travel, trade, financial and immigration systems, according to its website.
Davison County Sheriff Steve Harr said Thursday that the law enforcement response at Mitchell Roofing and Siding was not being led by the sheriff’s office. Harr said he was unable to comment further. A spokesperson for the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation also referred questions to the ATF.
Mitchell Roofing and Siding has been in business since 2001 and serves customers in South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wyoming, according to its website.
Check back with the Mitchell Republic for more on this story.
Sam Fosness joined the Mitchell Republic in May 2018. He was raised in Mitchell, S.D., and graduated from Mitchell High School. He continued his education at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, where he graduated in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in English. During his time in college, Fosness worked as a news and sports reporter for The Volante newspaper.
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