South Dakota Deputy Who Pleaded Guilty to Insurance Fraud Resigns

A South Dakota deputy sheriff who pleaded guilty in an insurance fraud case has resigned.

The Press & Dakotan newspaper reports that Douglas County Deputy Rob Hotchkiss stepped down on Jan. 14, and county commissioners have accepted the resignation. Hotchkiss had been on administrative leave since late October.

Hotchkiss, of Delmont, recently pleaded guilty to grand theft by deception. Authorities say he submitted fraudulent insurance applications to obtain commissions while working for a Sioux Falls agency in 2008.

State officials alleged Hotchkiss created a fictitious company with fictitious workers for which he filed the insurance applications.

He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.