Judge charges U.S. Marshals with contempt in vaccination dispute

ABERDEEN, S.D. – A federal judge in South Dakota criminally charged three members of the U.S. Marshals Service with contempt of court and obstructing justice.

The charges stem from a dispute with a deputy 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.