Accused DSS embezzler pleads not guilty

Judge also rules on access to evidence and bond conditions

Former DSS employee Lonna Carroll exits the Hughes County Courthouse after pleading not guilty to the two felony charges she faces for allegedly stealing money from her former employer. (Austin Goss/The Dakota Scout)

PIERRE — The woman accused of stealing nearly $2 million dollars from the Department of Social Services (DSS) over about 10 years pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the two charges she faces.

Lonna Carroll, 68, entered the pleas in-person at the Hughes County Courthouse — setting up a Dec. 4 jury trial. The case will be argued between the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office and Lake Andes-based defense attorney Tim Whalen.

Carroll remains in jail because she has been unable to post bond, which Whalen attributed to her bank accounts being frozen after her arrest.

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