A person is an accessory to a crime, if, with intent to hinder, delay, or prevent the discovery, detection, apprehension, prosecution, conviction, or punishment of another for the commission of a felony, that person renders assistance to the other person. There are no accessories to misdemeanors.

The term, render assistance, means to:

Attorney's Note

Under the South Dakota Laws, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class 5 felonyup to 5 yearsup to $10,000
For details, see § 22-6-1

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Terms Used In South Dakota Codified Laws 22-3-5

  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Person: includes natural persons, partnerships, associations, cooperative corporations, limited liability companies, and corporations. See South Dakota Codified Laws 2-14-2

(1) Harbor or conceal the other person;

(2) Warn the other person of impending discovery or apprehension, other than a warning given in an effort to bring the other person into compliance with the law;

(3) Provide the other person with money, transportation, a weapon, a disguise, or any other thing to be used in avoiding discovery or apprehension;

(4) Obstruct anyone by force, intimidation, or deception in the performance of any act which might aid in the discovery, detection, apprehension, prosecution, conviction, or punishment of the other person; or

(5) Conceal, destroy, or alter any physical evidence that might aid in the discovery, detection, apprehension, prosecution, conviction, or punishment of the other person.

A violation of this section is a Class 5 felony.

Source: SDC 1939, § 13.0203; SL 1976, ch 158, § 3-3; SL 2005, ch 120, § 374.