Moody County Sheriff's Office Inmate Bail & Bonds

Moody sits in the Third Judicial Circuit. Under that circuit's written arrest rules, a deputy or city officer phones an on-call judge to get bond set. Judges take those calls from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. Get arrested at midnight and the call waits for morning.

That phone call is a must for any felony. A few Class 1 misdemeanors need the call as well. Those are stalking, simple assault, and defying a protection order or no-contact order. Class 2 misdemeanors, the least serious crimes, lead to release on the person's own signed promise. Plenty of other Class 1 misdemeanors qualify for that promise too.

The circuit also uses a two-day limit. If nobody has set bond, the officer must send a judge a probable cause statement. No judge's okay inside 48 hours means the host jail must let the person walk. Next comes the first appearance, which is often a video link from the host jail to the judge (SDCL 23A-4-1). The judge goes over the charge, the lawyer question, silence and release terms (SDCL 23A-4-3).

State law sets a ladder. The judge begins on the bottom rung and climbs only if a lower rung won't get the person back to court (SDCL 23A-43-2, 23A-43-3). On the scale go the crime itself, the proof, any mental health evaluation, and how likely flight or harm looks (SDCL 23A-43-4). Rungs, bottom to top:

• Own recognizance. Their signature is the only price.
• Unsecured bond. Money is owed later, and only if they skip court.
• A supervisor or limits. Someone vouches for them, or travel, housing or company is limited.
• Mental health conditions. Counseling or treatment the court spells out.
• Ten percent cash deposit. This cash, never over one tenth of the full bond, is refunded when the terms are honored.
• Full cash or a surety bond. All of it up front, or a licensed bondsperson signs for it.

In alcohol or drug cases, judges often order the 24/7 Sobriety Program as part of bond (SDCL 1-11-20). That might mean blowing into a tester morning and night. Some judges pick other tools, such as an alcohol monitor worn on the body, urine cups, or a sweat patch. The law caps what each costs: a breath test tops out at $3 and a urine test at $10. A drug patch can't go over $70, and a bracelet over $10 daily, with install and removal each capped at $50. A failed or skipped test can put them back in jail, and they stay there without bond until the court holds a hearing. Moody's 24/7 fund pays for a testing machine here. Phone the Sheriff's Office at 605-997-2423 for the place and the testing times.

Domestic assault arrests go straight to a judge, who sets bond and rules like no contact or moving out (SDCL 25-10-40, 25-10-41). Until that first hearing, Moody defendants in these cases must cut off all contact with the person said to be harmed and with that household, whether by phone, text, letter or a go-between. A note passed along by a relative counts. Violating it is its own Class 1 misdemeanor (SDCL 25-10-43). So please don't relay anything.

Moody bond amounts are drawn from a statewide chart, published by the courts as the FY27 Fine and Bond Schedule. The Third Circuit adopted it, and it has applied since July 1, 2026. A clerk can read many bonds right off it. Judges can move the number up or down. Some sample ranges:

• First or second DUI: $225 to $1,000
• Third DUI or more, a felony: $1,000 to $5,000
• Grand theft: $1,000 to $10,000
• Robbery: $1,000 to $25,000
• Two ounces of marijuana or less: signed promise, no cash
• Any Class 2 misdemeanor in this circuit: signed promise, no cash
• Domestic assault: only a judge decides
• First-degree manslaughter, murder, kidnapping: reserved for a judge

Tickets have fixed totals on that chart as well. Disorderly conduct runs $132.50 and driving under suspension $282.50, fine and court costs included. To learn the actual bond in one case, reach the Clerk of Courts at 605-997-3181 during weekday hours, or ask the jail where they sit. Flandreau families can see how bail is set under South Dakota law and how tribal and federal cases differ.

You pay at the host jail, which is outside the county. Go step by step:

1. Phone the Sheriff's Office, 108 E. Pipestone Ave., Suite A, Flandreau, SD 57028, at 605-997-2423 and find out which jail took them.
2. Phone that jail. Tell them who you are calling about, with a birthday, and request the bond figure, which charges it covers, and whether another agency has a hold.
3. Ask how payment works today, and whether 24/7 testing or other terms must start before release.
4. Pay, hold on to the receipt, and ask what time they will walk out.

Each host jail handles bond its own way:

• Brookings County Detention Center, 315 7th Avenue, Brookings, SD 57006, 605-696-8308. Use the kiosk in the public lobby (cash or card), or pay by card on the JailATM deposit website that the county's own page points to.
• Minnehaha County Jail, 305 W. 4th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57104, 605-367-4321. Its jail page names CourtMoney.com for posting bond on the internet.
• Lake County Jail, 200 E Center St, Madison, SD 57042, 605-256-5044. Phone to learn its bond steps.
• Roberts County Detention Center, 11924 BIA Highway 700, Sisseton, SD 57262, 605-698-7667. Phone before you drive up.
• Clay County Jail, 1250 Stanford St, Vermillion, SD 57069, 605-677-7100. Families pull bond cash from the ATM in its lobby.

City police in Flandreau hand arrested adults off to the same host jails the deputies use. So bond money goes to the jail, or to that jail's online link, and not to the police station.

The courthouse may be another option. The Clerk of Courts is at 101 East Pipestone Avenue, Flandreau, SD 57028, 605-997-3181. Hours are 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Before making the trip, phone and ask if the clerk's window will accept bond on this file, and in which form.

The court's ePayments site is for fines, costs and restitution owed after a case. Bond can't go through it. A handy extra: it reveals whether a case has an open warrant.

Each host jail has its own rules:

• Brookings: cash or card at the lobby kiosk, or a card on the JailATM site. Cash adds $3. A card adds $3 or 10 percent, whichever is higher, and a $25 Sheriff's fee can apply in certain cases.
• Minnehaha: bond online through CourtMoney.com. This jail turns away money orders and checks for inmate accounts, so ask before bringing one for bond.
• Clay: expect to use cash from the lobby ATM, which charges more than a bank.
• Lake and Roberts: call and ask.

Cash should never go in the mail. Carry photo ID and leave with a receipt.

A bondsperson tells the court they will cover the whole bail if your person runs. In return you pay them a fee you won't get back. Licenses come from the South Dakota Division of Insurance, 124 South Euclid Avenue, 2nd Floor, Pierre, SD 57501, 605-773-3563. Its staff can confirm whether an agent holds a license and can take a complaint.

• An unlicensed person who sells Moody families a bond commits a Class 6 felony (SDCL 58-22-4).
• No sheriff, deputy, jailer or police officer may gain from a bond deal (SDCL 58-22-3).
• The law restricts drumming up bond business at a jail (SDCL 58-22-32).
• State law sets no fee ceiling that we found. Get the price and any collateral written down, with a receipt.
• Family members may back a bond themselves, but each must list their property under oath. A working lawyer is barred from being a surety (SDCL 23A-43-20).

See the state court's bail bond agent list.

Yes. One bond clears one case. Other problems can still hold them:

• Another case. A warrant from a different county, a city ticket or an old missed-court warrant each needs its own release.
• Probation. Moody probationers report to Court Services, 200 East Center Street, Madison, SD 57042, 605-256-5645. A violation may bring a hold.
• Parole. The Board of Pardons and Paroles, 605-367-5040, can keep a parolee in custody.
• Domestic or 24/7 rules. A judge has to look at domestic arrests, and testing may have to be lined up first.
• A federal or ICE hold. Either can keep someone in custody once bond is paid.

Before paying, have the jail name each hold it shows.

Yes, though the door is very narrow. South Dakota's Constitution makes bail a right for almost every charge. No bail at all is allowed only on a capital charge, and only where guilt looks nearly certain (S.D. Const. art. VI, § 8). For everything else, the judge sets terms. They may be tough, like a big cash figure, if the judge fears the person will flee or harm someone (SDCL 23A-43-4).

Victims can speak up at release hearings (S.D. Const. art. VI, § 29), and the judge may weigh their safety. Charges are brought by the Moody County State's Attorney, 310 S Wind, Flandreau, SD 57028, 605-997-2207 (mail: PO Box 347, Flandreau, SD 57028).

Yes. The defense lawyer asks, and a judge may change terms whenever needed (SDCL 23A-43-7). Stuck in jail a day past the release hearing because the terms are too hard? The person may then ask a judge to look again (SDCL 23A-43-8). Bail set by a magistrate judge can be revisited by a circuit judge (SDCL 23A-43-14), and after that the Supreme Court can take an appeal (SDCL 23A-43-15).

You can help. Gather proof the person will show up: a work schedule, rent receipts, class enrollment, a treatment plan or letters from family. The hearing date is available from the Clerk of Courts at 605-997-3181.

If your person can't pay for a defense, they should tell the judge so at the first appearance and request appointed counsel (SDCL 23A-40-6). Moody runs no public defender office. Instead the county hires private law firms by contract for these cases (SDCL 23A-40-7, 23A-40-8). For the application steps, phone the Clerk of Courts at 605-997-3181.

It is not always free in the end. Even after an acquittal, a judge may order the lawyer's cost paid back to Moody (SDCL 23A-40-10). The county can file a lien on property, though never to take the home (SDCL 23A-40-11, 23A-40-15). Someone out of jail on a petty or Class 2 charge that can't lead to jail gets no appointed lawyer (SDCL 23A-40-6.1). The state Office of Indigent Legal Services takes appeals, not trials.

• Circuit and magistrate court in Flandreau: Clerk of Courts, 101 East Pipestone Avenue, Flandreau, SD 57028, 605-997-3181, weekdays 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Felonies, misdemeanors, youth cases and city ordinance tickets all land here.
• Santee Sioux tribal court: Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe Judicial Courts, 1314 S. Veterans Street, Flandreau, SD 57028, 605-997-3593, for cases on the tribe's lands.
• Federal court (Southern Division): United States Courthouse, 400 S. Phillips Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57104, 605-330-6600.

The free Find a Court Date tool lists upcoming Moody hearings by name or case number.

Yes, if every term was kept. When the Moody case wraps up, the judge exonerates the bond and lets the money go (SDCL 23A-43-26). A ten percent deposit is returned when the terms are met (SDCL 23A-43-3).

Bail can also be taken. Breaking a release term without good cause lets the court forfeit the bond, and the clerk then issues a warrant (SDCL 23A-43-21). A missed court date loses the bail and starts a new crime. On a felony or DUI release, that crime is a Class 6 felony. Where the original release was on a misdemeanor, that extra crime is a Class 1 misdemeanor (SDCL 23A-43-31). When the person returns with a real explanation, the forfeiture can be wiped out by a judge (SDCL 23A-43-22).

Court costs or fines might be subtracted before any cash comes back. If you post bail for someone else, ask the Clerk of Courts at 605-997-3181 how Moody handles that.

Cash and belongings stay at the host jail where the person was booked, so phone that jail.

• Minnehaha County Jail, 305 W. 4th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57104, 605-367-4321. Cash left in their jail account returns to them on a debit card. Stored items come out in one batch, except a single set of clothes, and only one release per stay unless a sergeant okays more. Requests to send money to a family member are reviewed weekdays, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Brookings County Detention Center, 315 7th Avenue, Brookings, SD 57006, 605-696-8308. The front desk works 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, so call then to ask about pickup.

For Lake, Roberts or Clay, use the phone numbers in the posting answer. South Dakota lets a jail bill an inmate for their stay (SDCL 24-11-45).

A federal judge in Sioux Falls. Moody falls in the Southern Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, whose courthouse is at 400 S. Phillips Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57104, 605-330-6600. Grave crimes on tribal land, robbery and murder among them, can end up there too (18 U.S.C. 1153).

In federal court, whether the person is held is decided at their first hearing. Defense lawyers may win a five-day postponement, prosecutors a three-day one, with the person kept in custody in between (18 U.S.C. 3142). State bail rules don't apply. Until trial, federal defendants are the U.S. Marshals' responsibility. That office is at 400 South Phillips Avenue, Room 216, Sioux Falls, SD 57104, 605-330-4351. Minnehaha's jail is one place that keeps Marshals prisoners. After sentencing, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

No. Paid bond and an ICE detainer are separate matters. Step by step:

1. Federal immigration agents deliver a Form I-247A detainer to Brookings, Minnehaha or whichever host jail has the person.
2. This paperwork asks the jail to keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, giving ICE time to collect them (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. ICE then moves them. The Pennington County Jail, 307 Saint Joseph St, Rapid City, SD 57701, 605-394-6116, appears on ICE's list of places it holds people in South Dakota.
4. Look them up on the ICE Online Detainee Locator using the A-number on immigration papers, or a name plus the birth country.
5. The ICE field office for this region sits in St. Paul: 1 Federal Drive, Suite 1601, Fort Snelling, MN 55111, 612-843-8600.

Last, state law. SB 7 (SL 2025, ch 100) voids any local policy in South Dakota that would stop officials from telling federal agents about a person's immigration status.

A misdemeanor sentence means county jail, so for Moody a host jail. A felony sentence to prison puts the person with the South Dakota Department of Corrections (SDCL 22-6-1). The bottom two felony levels, Class 5 and Class 6, usually end in probation (SDCL 22-6-11). For those, a judge may also choose up to one year in jail over prison (SDCL 22-6-1.1).

The state checks each new prisoner first, then places them in a prison. The DOC Offender Locator finds a prisoner by last name or DOC number. The DOC's main office: 3200 East Highway 34, Pierre, SD 57501, 605-773-3478. Every state prison appears on our South Dakota prisons page.

Kids do not go to the adult host jails. When detention is ordered, Moody youth use the Minnehaha County Regional Juvenile Detention Center, 4200 S. West Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57105, 605-367-4313, which serves Moody and 15 other counties.

Youth cases run in circuit court and cover ages 10 and up (SDCL 26-8C-2). Usually a parent picks the child up. An intake officer may keep a child only for reasons the law names (SDCL 26-8C-3), and in this circuit that choice leans on a risk screening score. The State's Attorney handles youth cases as well. Moody youth stay in juvenile court unless a judge, after a transfer hearing, rules otherwise (SDCL 26-11-4). The Clerk of Courts, 605-997-3181, can share hearing dates.