(Daily360.com) A 64 year old ex-mayor of a small South Dakota town has been charged with three homicides. About 15 years ago, Jay Ostrem served as the mayor of Centerville, a town with a population of less than 1,000. On May 28 he was charged for first degree murder of three individuals from the previous night.
Ostrem’s wife said there was a man that intentionally kissed her without her consent. She was drinking with Paul Frankus on May 23 when Frankus also exposed his genitals to Ostrem’s wife without provocation. Jay Ostrem was informed of this interaction by his wife on May 27. She said Ostrem was raging when he exited the house and left without saying where he was going. She said he was unarmed when he left the house, but said it was possible he had a gun stored in the car.
Ostrem was found by authorities following the shooting of three individuals. Paul Frankus’ brother Zach Frankus called the police after Paul was shot by Ostrem. Before the phone call ended, Zach was also shot. In addition to Paul and Zach Frankus, Timothy Richmond was killed during the interaction with Ostrem.
The officers asked Ostrem to stop when he exited the house after shooting the victims. Ostrem didn’t initially respond to the demands of the officers, but eventually laid down on the ground. When he was arrested, there was a bleeding wound on his left hand. Ostrem also had possession of two firearms, which were an AR-style rifle and a handgun. There were also spent casings found on the scene.
When Ostrem was mayor of Centerville, he faced a lawsuit from the police chief, Rachel Kopman. The lawsuit was ultimately settled, although the details of the agreement were not disclosed. Kopman alleged that Ostrem repeatedly made sexual remarks to her while she was on the job. She said this happened for over a year while she worked as the police chief of Centerville.
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