Parents Calling for Tougher South Dakota DUI Laws

The parents of a woman killed in crash near Pickstown, S.D., are calling for tougher drunken driving laws in South Dakota.

Twenty-nine-year-old Ronald Fischer Jr., of Lake Andes, was allegedly driving drunk on July 8 in the Pickstown area when he failed to stop at a stop sign. Authorities say his vehicle went into a parking lot, where it struck and killed 25-year-old Maegan Spindler, of Cazenovia, N.Y., and 46-year-old Robert Klumb, of Pierre.

The two U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service employees were in the area conducting tests on the Missouri River.

Fischer has pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide charges.

The Pierre Capital Journal reports that Gregg and Susan Spindler met in late July with Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s legal council about reforming South Dakota’s drunken driving laws.

The Spindlers are calling for a 10 percent excise tax on the wholesale cost of all alcoholic beverages sold in the state to supplement current enforcement efforts.

The Spindlers also want to create ‘aggravated DUI’ for incidents involving death, injury or high blood alcohol content. They also propose asset forfeiture as a routine penalty for drunk driving, and treating first- and second-offense DUIs as felonies, not misdemeanors.

A spokesman for Daugaard says the governor is considering their proposals.

“The Department of Public Safety is looking into Mr. Spindler’s ideas, and looks forward to talking to him about them,” Tony Venhuizen said.