New candidate in D5 House GOP Primary out collecting signatures. And it appears a DUI charge.

From facebook this weekend, it appears that District 5 House has picked up another participant in the Republican Primary. Seth Phillips, a Watertown businessman has declared his candidacy for the office, and has not just a facebook page up, but an entire website:

And apparently he’s a big Toby Doeden guy.  I had a person mention to me that he might even specifically be a Doeden recruit for the legislature, in place of Rep. Garcia who is running for the Senate.

Getting away from Facebook, and over to his website, the website for District 5 State House Candidate Seth Phillips notes…

Seth’s life has included both challenges and growth. Earlier in life he made mistakes that forced him to take a hard look at the direction his life was heading. Through accountability, discipline, and a commitment to building something better, he turned his life around and focused on becoming the father and leader his family could depend on.

and.. 

Seth is running for State House to protect the South Dakota way of life, defend constitutional rights, support working families, strengthen education and career pathways, and ensure government remains accountable to the people.

You can read that here.

Let’s talk about accountability. Because coincidentally, it appears that a Seth Phillips has a 9AM appointment tomorrow morning in a court room.   I don’t think most people are thinking when they read Seth’s website referring to him making mistakes earlier in life that they’re thinking of earlier being a couple of weeks ago.

The charge?  On 2/8/26, Seth Phillips was arrested at 10:45 in the morning for a violation of 32-23-2 (M1) DUI1 .08% OR MORE OF ALCOHOL IN BLOOD-IN VIOLATION OF 32-23-1. Tomorrow marks his initial appearance, 03/16/2026 at 09:00 AM here in a Brookings County courtroom according to UJS records. (docket number is 05CRI26-000175).

That would be notable enough for a candidate for office. Except, since his arrest for DUI, court records show that Seth Phillips was arrested again – while pending a court date for the first charge – on 2/27 for one count of 22-42A-3 (M2) USE OR POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA and a count of 22-42-24 (M2), SMOKING/CONSUMING MARIJUANA BY OPERATOR OF VEHICLE.  He paid the ticket on those.

You know, if they could take him off the road at this point, I don’t think that would be a bad thing.

Unfortunately, you don’t have to go back very far to find more, including  32-12-65 (M2) DRIVING WITH SUSPENDED (NOT REVOKED) LICENSE (8/24/25), and more drug possession and driving with a suspended license in 2024.

That’s the recent stuff.  If you keep reviewing, and you go back to 2019, we get to domestic abuse charges he eventually pled guilty to; 22-18-1(2) (M1) DOM ABUSE SIMPLE ASSAULT RECKLESSLY CAUSES BODILY INJURY for which he was sentenced to 180 days in jail with 136 days suspended. There’s even a 2016 sentence to the state pen (Incarcerated to Penitentiary for 3 Year(s) with 18 Month(s) suspended and credit for 74 Day(s) served). Which makes me question his eligibility to serve in the legislature. 

§ 4.   Disqualification for conviction of crime.... No person who has been, or hereafter shall be, convicted of bribery, perjury, or other infamous crime, …. shall be eligible to the Legislature or to any office in either branch thereof.

BTW, that would be for the House of Representatives to decide if it falls under the constitutional prohibitions and what constitutes an infamous crime.  Regardless, if you’re a District 5 resident, and this is the record of accountability you want to bring to Pierre; by all means, you should choose to put Seth Phillips in office.

If not, there are two candidates who have NOT been sentenced to that building they’re replacing on the hill in Sioux Falls, and also have a pretty good record of public service; Bryon Callies, a former legislator and past National Vice Commander of the American Legion, and current Rep. Matt Roby, an attorney, former member of the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office and former Watertown city attorney.

If you’re a District 5 resident, let the choice be yours.

*Update* 

The court date was pushed back to next week (3/23/26), I would guess due to weather.