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Monday, August 18, 2003

Charles Cummings, Bennett County's first Indian sheriff, resigned unexpectedly effective Friday, The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports.

The resignation came as a surprise to family friends and local officials. State attorney general Larry Long would not comment on Cummings' reasons for leaving.

Cummings, a member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe, was elected last November thanks to unprecedented turnout by Indian voters. He has been at the center of a controversy with the city of Martin, which has recently voted to form its own law enforcement department separate from Bennett County.

Cummings and tribal members believed the city's decision was racially motivated. The Oglala Lakota Tribe was backing a boycott of businesses in Martin.

Get the Story:
Bennett County sheriff resigns (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 8/17)
Resignation leaves many questions (AP 8/18)

Related Stories:
Oglala Sioux Tribe supports business boycott (07/10)
March to support S.D. county's first Indian sheriff (7/9)
Native voters in S.D. county make history (01/08)
S.D. county elects Native leaders (11/08)
Indians mobilize to defeat white leaders (10/31)

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