Federal judge charges US marshals in vaccination dispute

June 15, 2021

ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) — A federal judge in South Dakota criminally charges three members of the U.S. Marshals Service with contempt of court and obstructing justice, after a dispute with a marshal who refused to disclose her COVID-19 vaccination status and removed prisoners from a courthouse.

U.S. District Judge Charles Kornmann charged three supervisory law enforcement officers, including the agency’s Chief of Staff John Kilgallon.

The officers allegedly allowed a deputy marshal to leave the courthouse in Aberdeen with prisoners in tow on May 10 after the marshal refused to tell the judge whether she had been vaccinated against COVID-19.