By Two deputies and an Aberdeen police officer are challenging incumbent Brown County Sheriff Dave Lunzman in his quest for reelection this year.
That means voters will have decisions to make during the primary and general elections. And more candidates could emerge as the deadline to submit nominating petitions isn’t until the end of March.
The candidates who have filed petitions so far include:
- Republicans: Daniel Kaiser, Aberdeen; Linn Kamin, Westport; and Dave Lunzman, Aberdeen.
- Democrat: Anthony “Tony” Sorensen, Aberdeen.
Lunzman, who is in his 50s, has served as sheriff for the past four years. Both Sorensen, 40, and Kamin, 52, are deputies at the sheriff’s office. Kaiser, 45, is a sergeant with the Aberdeen Police Department and ran for sheriff in 2018, but lost in the primary.
Kaiser, Kamin and Lunzman will face off in the June 2 GOP primary with the top vote-getter advancing to the Nov. 3 general election, presumably to face Sorensen.
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The last time there was a Democrat for sheriff on the November ballot was in 1994 when Aberdeen police officer Gary Myhre ran against Republican Mark Milbrandt. That was the first time Milbrandt ran for sheriff. He won and served through 2022 when he retired. That’s when Lunzman took over.
Milbrandt was twice challenged in the Republican primary — in 1998 by Douglas Deyo, who was a jailer at the time, and Kaiser in 2018.
Lunzman has long history of working in law enforcement
Lunzman
Lunzman was hired as chief deputy in 2018. Prior to that, he served on the Aberdeen City Council from 2017 to 2022 and the South Dakota Attorney General Elder Abuse Task Force from 2016 to 2018. He worked for the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation from 2000 until 2016 and the Aberdeen Police Department from 1990 until 2000. Lunzman served in the U.S. Army National Guard from 1986 to 1994.
His four years as sheriff haven’t been without difficulties that started, at least publicly, in 2023. By that September, his wife, MJ Lunzman, had been accused of violating warrant protocol during a blood draw at the jail. She had been hired by her husband to help with jail blood draws.
That incident eventually led to the police department having blood draws taken at a local hospital and was one reason for an internal county investigation involving the Lunzmans. It also sparked tension between the Lunzmans and the county and police department.
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In an emailed response to questions from The Aberdeen Insider, Dave Lunzman said he’s faced many challenges in his law enforcement career that has spanned more than 35 years.
“But no one could’ve predicted the adversity I would face from outside sources and other public officials if things did not go their way during my first term as Brown County sheriff,” he said.
That includes pushback and unnecessary obstacles as well as publication of the issues in the media that were misrepresented and misunderstood, Lunzman said.
“I found the most trying times as sheriff were due to the lack of communication from other officials that should have been the best communicators and simply were not,” he said.
Both the sheriff and his wife have sued the county claiming they have been treated improperly.
In recent years, the county launched a plan to build a regional jail. But, while the county bought the needed building, the money to renovate it into a jail did not materialize. In spite of that, Lunzman said, the quest continues to find a building or a way to build and provide the necessary services and accommodations.
Brown County defendants ask that lawsuit filed by sheriff’s wife be dismissed
Lunzman said during his time in office, he’s overseen several improvements, including updating the body cameras worn by officers, as well as firearms and tasers. Routers have also been installed in deputy vehicles to better communicate in areas with limited reception, he said. The jail now has a padded cell for those who are a danger to themselves, and the sheriff’s office has partnered with Modern Day Health for telemedicine services.
The county’s dispatch center has been recognized as a top-five dispatch center in South Dakota with a rating of 98% to 100%, Lunzman said. That means calls for emergency services are being answered quickly, he said.
Kaiser said drama reinvigorated his desire to run for sheriff again
Kaiser
Kaiser said the extra drama in recent years reinvigorated his desire to run for sheriff.
He said professionalism and training go hand in hand, and he believes he’s the candidate who has experience in both areas. He’s been a training sergeant at the police department for the past two years. That training, he said, includes not only onboarding new hires, but also establishing mentorship opportunities.
Kaiser said there are grant opportunities to help bring trainers to Aberdeen, and he’s familiar with the resources to find them.
MORE: Dan Kaiser announces bid for Brown County Sheriff
He served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 2013 until 2018 and was a member of the judiciary, transportation, education and taxation committees. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve with deployments in Iraq and Bosnia. His military honors include the Army Commendation Medal, according to a news release announcing his candidacy.
Sorensen and Kamin have worked at the Brown County Sheriff’s Office for 17 and 18 years, respectively.
Time away from sheriff’s office, heart attack give Sorensen a new perspective
Currently a patrol sergeant, Sorensen took a break from law enforcement from 2016 to 2018, then returned to the sheriff’s office. He said the break was for personal reasons, but he soon realized he missed law enforcement.
Sorensen
“That time away helped me realize it’s what I wanted to do,” he said.
Sorensen also had a health issue two years ago that gave him a new perspective on life. He suffered a major heart attack at the courthouse, one that has about a 10% survival rate, he said. Had he not been close to emergency responders, he said he wouldn’t have survived. An experience like that makes a person value every day, Sorensen said.
During his tenure with the sheriff’s office, he’s worked in communications, at the jail, in court security and on patrol. Sorensen said running for sheriff has been a career goal.
“I’ve been there a long period of time,” he said. “Now is the time to take on this adventure.”
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Sorensen said there are some improvements and personnel changes he has in mind, but that, for the most part, the sheriff’s office is where it needs to be to serve the public.
He said he’d like to have a more active role in the department.
“We haven’t had that in a long time,” he said. “My plan isn’t to sit in the office and observe.”
Sorensen said that active role would include continually seeking ways to improve — not only from people who work at the sheriff’s office, but also from detainees about improvements that could be made at the jail. While those being held at the jail are accused of crimes, Sorensen said, they’re still people who deserve some compassion.
Kamin has served various roles at sheriff’s office
Kamin
Kamin has also served multiple positions at the sheriff’s office. Currently a road deputy, he’s also been a corrections officer, jail deputy and was jail administrator from 2018 to 2022. In those positions, he ran the juvenile detention center, set up the GPS monitoring and helped get the so-called “Blue Building” set up with equipment for a more automated 24-7 Sobriety Program. The program detects if those the sheriff’s office are monitoring have consumed alcohol.
The “Blue Building” is across the street to the north of the courthouse/sheriff’s office complex. The breath tests were previously administered at a building that was farther away.
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Kamin said that at the time, the GPS program helped provide a way for some detainees to be on home confinement with work release. It took pressure off the jail, which often operates at or above capacity, he said.
Kamin works at the sheriff’s office with his son and son-in-law, both of whom are deputies. His daughter works at the Brown County Communications Center. If elected, Kamin said, he doesn’t see that as an issue as there are other supervising officers in charge overseeing the jobs of his relatives.
If elected, he said, he’d like to incorporate more community involvement opportunities for deputies, who enjoy interacting with the public in a more casual setting at the Brown County Fair.
“That’s a fun time for all of us,” he said.
He envisions visits to smaller communities where deputies can provide education and resources.
Kamin said he’d also like to establish a new administrative investigator position. That person would help the sheriff stay better informed about the status of different investigations, he said. Making some changes to job classifications could offset the cost of the new position, he said.
“Eventually I want to start up a cyber crime investigations unit to help people who are scammed,” Kamin said.
