Last updated on 2017-11-21
On December 14, the South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners will finalize its acceptance of Lars Aanning’s October surrender of his medical license. Aanning admitted last year that he lied in court to protect a fellow doctor from a malpractice suit. SDBMOE decided this year to charge Aanning with “moral turpitude” for that lie, but Aanning chose to surrender his license rather than sit through a hearing to revoke it.
Since before surrendering his medical license, Aanning has been using his Facebook page to criticize the SDBMOE and other state authorities for covering up the circumstances of the death of Brady Folkens, a juvenile who died at the now-shuttered (and so far unsellable) STAR Academy south of Custer. Aanning summarizes his case in his most recent post:
Brady Folkens died from negligent medical care, but a pathologist falsely blamed a virus. Actually, no virus killed Brady. The blood test for that virus was negative. Dr. Raed Sulaiman surreptitiously never mentioned the negative virus test in his autopsy report. Why?
After a 5-day illness at the STAR Academy, a South Dakota juvenile detention facility, Brady Folkens died on December 21, 2013. The facility superintendent, Jeff Haier, touched base with Dr. Sulaiman, shortly after Brady suddenly died in the ICU at Avera McKennan Hospital, and BEFORE the final autopsy report. The fix was now in to hold the state of South Dakota blameless, we believe.
Unknown to Brady’s mother, Dawn Van Ballegooyen, the PA at STAR had put Brady on minocycline for acne. She knew Brady was allergic to this antibiotic. And Brady had received a full dose every day, including the very morning of his death.
How is all this possible? We believe the South Dakota state authorities and Avera Health (his employer) pressured Dr. Sulaiman, the pathologist who did Brady’s autopsy, to “come up with a phony cause for Brady’s death.” Fearing for his job, Dr. Sulaiman would have no other reason to produce a fraudulent autopsy report. A sleigh of hand would protect his job, and the state, and all would be swept under the cover up rug. So they all thought….
We believe that besides Jeff Haier, the other participants in this cover-up include Denny Kaemingk, head of Corrections, and John Porter, CEO of Avera Health. What role the governor’s, lieutenant governor’s, and Attorney General’s office played remains suspicious for collusion. Question: where does this buck stop?
And adding insult to injury, the role played by the South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners can only be characterized as brazen moral turpitude: 1) certifying a virus death without evidence of a virus; 2) and two phony official letters describing a review by an outside expert that found Dr. Sulaiman’s virus diagnosis to be accurate!
As Hamlet would have said, “There’s something ROTTEN in South Dakota!” [Lars Aanning, Facebook post, 2017.11.19]
Aanning is trying a case that Folkens’ mother was unable to carry out in court. Van Ballegooyen filed a federal lawsuit in December 2014, but after two years of losing arguments and lawyers, abandoned the court claim in December 2016.
We believe that besides Jeff Haier, the other participants in this cover-up include……..wait. What’s that smell? That’s right- the pervasive STENCH OF CORRUPTION in South Dakota’s gubmint!
I wonder if any of the litigants were The Mustache Michels as he has had some practice in these kinds of matters. http://www.argusleader.com/story/jonathanellis/2015/06/11/michels-named-in-latest-sossan-lawsuit/71032344/
South Dakota deserves a change from the outlaws that have been in Pierre for the last 4 decades or so. Toss the bums out and put some Febreze in the building while it airs, as the air cleans, put Billie Sutton at the top to work to keep the mange from seeping back in.
I question if the same dynamics were in play with the death at redfield sddc last year
it appears that nobody should be found guilty of malpractice if the patient is a ward of the state or the state is providing services in its facilities ?
or at least the burden of proof is impossibly high -since there are so many behind the scenes pulling strings
Jerry, the plaintiffs dropped Michels from the suit last December.
I think he still represents Avera though, correct me if I am wrong. Avera Health is what this Facebook interrogative is all about as far as I can see.
Is it surprising that maybe the SoDak justice system failed to properly treat a sick prisoner?
Matt Michaels has been a legal counsel for Avera Health…
Mr. Heidelberger,
Why did you sandwich this story between two comments critical of Aanning for exercising his First Amendment rights? Your argument falls flat.
I’m an east coast patient advocate though I go to healthcare events around the country. The AMA, National Medical Board Federation, and nationally known physicians are aware of the Brady Folkens case and undoubtedly worried, as the longer this case stays in the public domain, the more it undermines faith in the whole US healthcare system. A recent petition supporting Dr. Lars Aanning has been signed by people around the country in Facebook groups like ProPublica Patient Safety & Medical Error Transparency Plan. It’s time for justice in SD for Brady’s family, Dr. Lars Aanning and for the country. Keep it up Dr. Aanning. This SD dirty deed is known far and wide. May justice come soon!
Yes. Michels was dropped from the lawsuit because “it was too complicated” (wondering if anyone can use that plea). AND Sutton is part of the corrupt “SD development”, why do you think he has said nothing about the Westerhuis murders – he lives only 37 miles away!? But back to the Starr Academy deaths..yes I said DEATHS…Brady was one of 4-5 children who died there. Thankful that Lars and Dawn are keeping this story alive. Maybe Brady’s death will have saved other children from the claws of SD’s correctional system.
Ms. Day, in which specific comments do I criticize Mr. Aanning’s exercise of his First Amendment rights?
Note also that I make no argument here. I present Aanning’s comments with context and links.
Ms. Hubbel, you are 100 miles away from where the Westerhuis murders took place, a mere 63 miles farther away, why didn’t you say something? Remember, you were the head of the largest county in South Dakota’s Republican Party at one time. You were a state legislator, how did you miss Westerhuis and the shenanigans that happened? You are a politico that has supporters all over the state, surely someone gossiped something over coffee. To take a shot at Sutton on this, kind of aims the barrel right back at ya.
I always wonder about the seemingly inept doctors that miss critical symptoms of those they are in charge of in our justice system. Are they all quacks and is this the only place that will hire them? Who interviews them for the job of providing a safe environment for these young people?
Jerry….HOW MUCH LOUDER DO I HAVE TO SCREAM? I was consistently on FB regarding the Westerhuis murders…I HAVE BEEN A LIGHTNING ROD FOR PEOPLE GIVING ME INFORMATION THE AG AND “FBI” WON’T LISTEN TO…..I PAID A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR who told me with the information I had he could prove they were murdered…I STARTED A GO FUND ME TO GET THE MONEY FOR AN INVESTIGATION!! What the heck, JERRY!!!!???
Ms. Hubbel, before the murders, where were you? I like it when you use those big letters, please proceed. What the hell is a facebook page anyway? Just another way the Russians get their message out. Why don’t you scream bloody murder about that? Please post your findings about your proof Ms. Hubell…paging Ms. Hubbel..
Jerry, maybe you need to do you research………….She was so livid, she ran against the incumbent Gov. Dennis Daugaard in 2014. The media and RINO establishment did everything to silence her and discredit her. Just check out SDWC. Incredible. Even the SDNPA wouldn’t let her debate. Daugaard got a free pass. She campaigned all over the state and got 20% of the vote. When she got beat in the Republican primary, she became Mike Myers running mate on the Independent ticket. She has put more time and money into fighting corruption than any other candidate I know of. Maybe you should fb friend her, google her, or you tube her. Uninformed and ill informed people are the reason why we are one of the most corrupt states in SD.
Thanks, I just did and nowhere did I see where she said anything about the Platte stuff before the incident took place. While I am sure that she is a champion among champions, she did imply that Sutton did not say anything because he is 37 miles from Platte, but she did not either and she is 100 miles from Platte, this is kind of a strange statement. Now Ms. Hubbel claims she has the proof of the crime and that she has presented it to the FBI and to Jackley with no takers. I say that she present it publicly and stop holding back. What say you Tara, are you not the least bit curious? Or do you not think that the whole statement she just posted is strange? I am guessing that you are calling me ill informed and blaming me for the issues in South Dakota, okay, I take that responsibility. Now make me informed and tell me what the proof is, otherwise, it is back at ya.
Oh come on Jerry, you can do better than that. Just go back from the time of Benda’s death and the Westerhuis alleged murders. She has numerous posts. She just recently posted the first thing she would do if Governor would be to to review the autopsies and appoint a special prosecutor. Those are just the facts. I don’t recall any of the other candidates tackling these very troubling issues, but I could be wrong too. She was recently at the GOAC meeting at Pierre with Dr. Aanning, Brady Foken’s Mom, Dawn and myself. Plus, she just attended the Tribal Relations committee meeting at USD and reviewed the Gear-Up follow the money map. Quite a disappointing meeting for the Indian students that where thrown under the bus by 4 Democrats that voted not to subpeona Gear-Up consultents. It went down by one vote. You can listen to the whole meeting on SDPB. She is not going to let Gear-Up die. She really has no fear. Maybe it’s because she pacts heat. lol. She is PP number one enemy. I consider that a compliment.
Lora keeps wanting to holler about Democrats, but the folks who brought you GEAR UP, EB-5, and the original topic of this post, the academy at Custer, and all the corruption and harm in all of those programs, were Republicans.
Bless your heart Tara, you completely miss the first sentence in my response to you. How did Ms. Hubbel and others miss the shenanigans performed right under their noses? This was done during the tenure of Ms. Hubbel’s elected legislative time. According to this news source, this never should have been allowed in the first place. http://www.keloland.com/news/article/investigates/expert-state-of-sd-should-never-have-received-gear-up-grant-in-the-first-place
So Tara, you can call me ignorant as much as you like and I will accept it like water off a duck’s back…as long as you accept the facts that this Gear Up program was faulted from the beginning. That the legislators all, have to accept the responsibility of its failure and consequences. In hindsight, the due diligence Ms. Hubbel is presenting now, should have been done when this fraud was first put into place. Hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube. I think that laying the blame on Sutton kind of makes the dressing much juicer for the PP turkey.
A tip of the hat to you though for bringing up Benda’s murder. The statute of limitations will not run out for his justice.
Cory, Lora is going after her own party, big time. PP is doing another hit piece on her. Jerry this corruption with the Dept. of Ed., Mid Central, and Gear-Up started way before Hubbel served in Pierre. Lora was probably IGNORANT in Gear-Up because it was deeply covered up and hidden from from the people and Legislative rookies. She was to busy fighting Daugaard and the rest of the RINOs out in Pierre on another education issue, common core. Guarantee, if Daugaard didn’t have her gerrymandered and donat holed and funneled big money to her opponent, Deb Peters a, she would be on the front lines fighting for those Indian kids out in Pierre. Hopefully Lora answers your questions. She can speak for herself. Thanks for inquiring Jerry, and by the way, look up the word ignorant. My name will be next to it. Happy Thanksgiving.
Jerry…where did you get your armchair quarterback degree? You must be new to the fight if you think I have not been in the fray for over 10 years. Here is what you don’t understand. During Session it is common to hear the Executive State boys say, “well the clowns are in town now”. And that is how SD is set up thanks to Janklow…a powerful Executive branch and a useless, weak legislative branch. Most of what SD does is “promulgated” by the executive branch…very little is “legislated”. So rules are “promulgated” and laws are “legislated”….however both rules and laws must be obeyed and are enforced. We have the Executive State boys writing rules 365 days a year…the legislature is in session 35-40 days. The executive branch can easily hide anything they want because of the rules. We have sunshine laws that have been promulgated into a useless pile of words by the agencies…so the executive branch can carry on under the cover of darkness. Lance, Stace and I sent an official letter stating the Executive branch was operating outside the confines of our State Constitution….and we got told we needed to attend a trial for our “crime” or we would be expelled from the legislature. How do you fight that, Jerry…give me your best armchair response….
Don’t condemn Sutton for not seeing the same facts and other information that you all saw or were privy too. That is what I meant, and I stand on my armchair and will say it again. What gives you the right to come down on someone who is “37 miles away” as if that has anything to do with the failure of the program. In geography speak, you were a mere 63 miles, more or less. from the very same spot.
I would like you to post that scoop on the proof of the murders and the cover up, until then, call me a skeptic armchair quarterback that has no confidence in the kicker. BTW, I was home schooled for my degree in armchairing, turns out I was voted most valuable player in my league.
Ms. Hubbel, as cute as you are you just blather about proof of which you cannot prove you even have. Mr. jerry is right, you were a mere 63 miles away. What did you know and when did you know it?
Side note, I believe Mr. jerry will be eligible for consideration in the South Dakota armchairing hall of fame in another 18 months, when they meet in May of 2019 in Alexandria, SD.
Happy Thanksgiving to all friend and foe alike. May we find common ground in all that we do and all that we say.
Very kind of you Mr. grudznick, but alas, I am suffering from a small laceration on my middle finger and am on injured reserve for the rest of the season. As I was looking at the stats, danged if I did not see your name in the running sir. So good luck in Alexandria and tell the Montgomery boys howdy from me. Go Beavers!!
Geography, condemnation—hey, Lora! How many Republican legislators who live within an hour’s drive of the STAR Academy or of Avera McKennan have said anything about the issues Lars Aanning has raised?
Cory, I was responding to a side issue Jerry raised regarding corruption. Granted it doesn’t “fit” with this discussion….I thought the discussion could handle side-comments since the bigger issue here is corruption.
Right, so, answer the question: how many Republican legislators have responded to Aanning’s concerns about corruption?
Just for the record…here is where it started. I told Jonathan Ellis about this also but he was not interested. I FB messaged this to Lars Aanning after I read through Dawn’s pile of Brady’s medical records:
Friends on Facebook
Lives in Yankton, South Dakota
07/06/2015 10:37AM
Lars, Tara told me to private message you. I purposely left out of the public domain what I am 99% sure killed Brady Folkens. I saw where NKA was plastered all over his files…almost too much so it got me thinking it was “protesteth too much” and indeed he WAS allergic to something. Doxycycline…the same family as Minocycline. My research shows that Minocycline is one of the known drugs that causes myocarditis and patients should be monitored when taking them. Brady was given Minocycline 100mg BID…4 times the maintenance dose…even though he complained that they made him feel “funny”. The tissue exam from the Nebraska lab showed the heart tissue had eosinophils and other immune response cells that indicate toxic myocarditis rather than viral myocarditis.
Lars
Lora – thanks for this info – sorry now I didn’t quite process the details – get back to you tomorrow…many thanks!!!…
THEN here is the article I sent to Dr Aanning … https://www.ehealthme.com/ds/minocycline-hydrochloride/myocarditis/
Ms. Hubbel, have you considered having the courts exhume the body so you can have a go at a full forensic autopsy yourself? If The Man is hiding things from us, we need a hands-on examination from a lady such as yourself.
AND here is the copy/paste FB message I sent Jonathan Ellis: 03/14/2016 10:38AM
…I can also send you my pms to Lars Aanning also. (I spent days going through those records): I have a copy of Brady’s medical records. Brady did NOT have Hepatitis. The doctors in Rapid thought he had a hepatic emboli…a blood clot in the major artery supplying the liver….that was a mis-diagnosis. Brady had myocarditis ….the dying of the heart muscle. Thinking he had a liver blood clot, the Rapid docs gave him a blood thinner…one of the worst things you can do to someone who has myocarditis.
The autopsy had a high amount of eosinophils in the heart ….indicative of a TOXIC infection and NOT a viral infection like the state said. That toxin was probably his acne medicine which is known to have a side effect of myocarditis. PLUS….his record are plastered with “NKA”… to the point of rediculousness. So I thought it was a cover…and it was…Brady was allergic to a drug in the same family as the acne medicine he was given in boot camp….and he received a dose of FOUR TIMES the normal maintenance dose.
This was a cascade of errors….which belong firmly on the State’s shoulders. None of the diagnoses was life threatening unless the patient was totally neglected. Obviously he was. You cannot throw a dying patient at a doctor and expect him to figure out what is wrong in 20 minutes. Brady should have been taken to a doctor days before he was.
Great idea Grudznick….except I have no authority now. But as Governor you can expect that to happen, plus a lot more moves that will make waves.
Ms. Hubbel, I have a surprise for you. Facebooking messages are not facts in the eyes of scientists or lawyers or judges. You could have scribbled all that on the back of a napkin with a bit of your nice lipstick on the front and nobody would pay it any more heed.
Grudnick… so? I don’t plan on telling a Judge any of this…but if you want to do a forensic search of my FB account…come over….I’ll show it to you. What matters is that Brady gets justice AND that Lars Aanning will be deemed the hero he is….
I would love to visit you in person, Ms. Hubbel. I don’t know much about facebooking or searching forensically, but I’d bring you some flowers and maybe a box of candies we could nibble on while you walked me through your research.
You should bring her a big fat campaign donation Grudz.
I would bring my checkbook, Mrs. Volesky, and if she could convince me she is not insaner than most, I would ask to borrow a pen.
Grudznick….Scheesch…where do you want to meet? 10 o’clock a.m. at Caribou Coffee? I’ll bring my laptop. Im busy so a half hour time limit… I will probably be there in remodeling clothes so expect paint, plaster and dirty fingernails.
Ok Grudz, put up or shut up. Don’t chicken out.
Caribou Coffee on Eigth Street? I’m just in my way to Tally’s for breakfast but that’s not too far. I should be done by 10 and will stop by.
There is no Tally’s restaurant in Sioux Falls.
There aren’t any on Mars, either, but, Grudz is in Rapid City-about half way between SooFalls and Mars.
Mrs. Volesky, if your candidate is going to get out and meet the people and take in the big donation bucks she’s going to have to travel the state and visit people where they live. If Ms. Hubbel’s plan is to make everybody go to Sioux Falls to talk to her, I have to say that will probably set her campaign back just a little bit. It’s going to be tougher for her, unless she plans to sweep 100% of the uppity Sioux Falls crowd, most of whom are libbies.
It is good I don’t like Caribou Coffee, as they purport to be some kind of Eco-warriors and probably hate nuclear energy.
STAR Academy’s predecessors, South Dakota Tuberculosis Sanatorium and Custer State Hospital at Sanator have macabre histories of their own. Custer State Hospital was part of my foodservice territory in the 1980s and early 90s so I heard testimony from several employees who knew of the torture and abuse heaped on clients with disabilities many unable to defend themselves.
The State of South Dakota had been removing asbestos, lead paint and other hazardous materials even before Brady Folkens died but progress has been slow as the state’s gutted environmental division is ill-equipped to advise developer Mark Nielsen. Now, Nielsen is auctioning chances to push the three buttons that would destroy historic buildings with explosives but so far the public has not been invited to witness the demolitions. Plans to crush the remaining debris and integrate the material into roadways are still being discussed.
Lots for development are being sold, Lar. Big sign out on the highway. Digging going on back behind the cemetery.