FULL REPORT: FARRAR TO SERVE 180 DAYS IN JAIL

A Hutchinson County judge early this week ordered that Gregory M. Farrar spend the next 180 days in county jail — with an additional 185 days suspended — for sexually assaulting a Freeman woman last summer.

The ruling came from Circuit Court Judge Patrick Smith in the Olivet courtroom late Monday morning, Dec. 11 and included a fine of $500, plus court costs in the amount of $96.50.

Farrar, who was not present during the sentencing and represented by attorney Robin Eich, was ordered to turn himself in by 5 p.m. on Monday; he was taken into custody and booked into the Davidson County jail shortly thereafter.

Monday’s sentencing came three weeks after the Turner County farmer pled guilty to one count of sexual contact without consent pertaining to an incident that occurred inside the Freeman home of Marj Hofer last August — a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Hofer was present in the courtroom on Monday and provided testimony in support of Hutchinson County State’s Attorney Glenn Roth’s request that Farrar be given the maximum sentence.

“If the law does not offer relief from Mr. Farrar’s harassment, what other help is there for me and all the women impacted by his action,” said Hofer, referencing allegations of abuse from other women going back as far as 25 years. “I wonder how he ever has time in his day for work, family and community given the number of women that say Mr. Farrar has come on to them sexually and then continued to seek them out and stalk them.”

“Through this court is the true relief we women of the area seek,” the 73-year-old continued.

And she said she continues to be impacted by her encounter with Farrar.

“Since Mr. Farrar’s actions, I have quit all volunteer jobs, installed security cameras around my house, and never leave the doors unlocked,” Hofer said. “When I step out of my house, my first thought is, will I see him driving around? Is he following me without me being aware? Will he show up at a local store just to harass me again?

“I am asking this court to give this man the maximum sentence, not only for me but for all his victims over the decades.”

But Eich, Farrar’s attorney, asked for a suspended imposition of sentence on several grounds.

Farrar’s guilty plea was a “benefit of the bargain” plea — an Alford, or no contest, plea, she said.

“At no point in time has he openly admitted to anything that happened to Ms. Hofer,” Eich told the court, emphasizing that Farrar maintains to this day that the physical contact was consensual.

Eich noted the offense was a Class 1 misdemeanor similar to a DUI, and that Farrar has never pled guilty or been convicted of a felony.

She also said Farrar, a married man of 48 years who has three children and grandchildren, is embarrassed by the situation and provided the court with two documents — an apology letter written to Hofer and another from his counselor confirming that he has sought treatment.

Eich also noted that the defendant has been seeking medical help for the worsening of a muscle/nerve condition that doctors believe could be the onset of MS. That’s one of the reasons Farrar wasn’t in court on Monday, she said.

“He needs to stay very close to home because of his medical condition.”

Eich said there is remorse, and that Farrar would comply with any court orders that might accompany a suspended sentence of imprisonment.

“He’s extremely embarrassed by this situation and ashamed,” she said. “He is a Christian man, so there’s another level of forgiveness he needs to ask for.

“He does not want to spend any time in the county jail,” Eich continued. “He knows that he is not going to have a situation like this happen again.”

But the judge was firm in handing down his sentence.

“The fact that he entered a no contest plea, or an Alford plea, is of no consequence to this court,” Smith said. “The fact that he hedged his plea in some manner in no way impacts my finding of his guilt, nor his culpability. I am sentencing a person guilty of sexual contact with someone who did not consent to that contact.”

Smith noted other allegations of victimization and Farrar’s failure to outright admit his wrongdoing.

“I have allegations made — his counsel has indicated to me a need for him to see a counselor — that historically this may have been an issue with this man,” said the judge. “And while I am not entering any particular findings of the truth of any past allegations, it is troubling that they are there.

“It is equally troubling to the court that he did not step up and taken responsibility. An apology to a victim for a set of circumstances that were troubling to the victim is a far cry from an acknowledgement of wrongdoing. Failure to make such an acknowledgement is deeply troubling to a court who has to be concerned with the considerations of the community that he resides. In other words, does he pose a threat?

“Trying to offer alternative explanations to his criminal conduct does not bode well for him — does not cause me to have comfort that perhaps this is an aberration that won’t be repeated. When a person fully recognizes the depth of their wrongness, that is when they are likely able to make change. When they do not, I am concerned with their ability to change.”

“Fear of consequences,” Smith said. “That’s all that I have.”

To that end, the judge ordered Farrar serve six months in county jail, with the second half of 365-day sentence suspended upon the following conditions:

That he have no contact with his victim;

That he continue with counseling and comply if future expansion of those services is recommended;

That he be on his best behavior and obey all laws;

That there be no harassment of any other women, and no further victims.

If any of those terms are violated, he will be ordered to serve out the rest of his sentence.

“I believe a portion of his sentence needs to be suspended so that he is aware that the time he spent in jail will come back if he doesn’t change his behavior,” Smith said. “And since it appears he doesn’t recognize that it’s wrong, change in and of itself is less likely to happen; he needs to be afraid of his consequences.

“I anticipate that he will hate being in jail for six months — that it is the last place he will ever want to be,” the judge continued, noting that he is hopeful it will give him “a real appreciation for what it means to commit a sexual assault on another person, and why he should never do it again.”

Hofer said after the sentencing that she had originally hoped that Farrar would spend the full year in jail, but that the judge’s reasoning for his sentence made sense.

“This is what he needs.”

Monday’s sentencing also included testimony from Freeman Police Chief Jay Slevin, who took Farrar into custody at his rural Hurley home following the incident in August.

Farrar’s history of alleged abuse goes back to 1998, when he was convicted of harassing nearly a dozen women in southeastern South Dakota, and only recently have others come forward claiming that they, too, have been victims.

Three of those women — Heather Bird of Chancelor, Stephanie Reiners of Parker and Jessica VanThuyne of rural Viborg — were in the courtroom on Monday prepared to make statements of their own, but because the sentencing pertained only to the single count of sexual misconduct against Hofer, Judge Smith denied that request.

Those statements are printed here with permission from the women.

Statement from Heather Bird

On March 9, 2021, I was resting in my back yard when a guy in a white pickup going north on my street smiled and waved. I smiled and nodded back. Being new to Chancellor, I assumed it was just a neighbor I didn’t know yet. From where I was sitting, it looked like he continued driving by.

A moment later, my dog stood at attention, looking down my driveway. I got up to see a man walking down my driveway and into my back yard. He said he was looking for the house that burned down. I told him where it was according to what I’d heard. I hadn’t seen it although it was just down the street.

He told me he likes to check on people after things like that happen. He said he understands that just because it’s over to everyone else doesn’t mean it’s over for the owners. Unfortunately, I fell for it as I’ve been through things where I was still coping months later while everyone had already forgotten. So, we chatted a bit.

He stood with his back facing the back of my house and remained close to my house as he kept looking around like he was worried he was being watched. It reminded me of someone with PTSD. I ignored it at the time because I know some people had odd quirks.

I started getting even more uncomfortable when he kept saying things like “You’re so gorgeous”, “I was hoping you didn’t have a husband who would chase me away”, and he asked at least twice if we could go inside and talk alone.

I walked to ask him to leave. People usually pick up on that cue. Instead, he came forward and grabbed me like a hug, and he kissed my neck. I couldn’t remember exactly what I said out of shock as I pushed him away. “Dirty” something. I told him to leave. He said he will see me again.

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know if I should call law enforcement, or let it go. It scared me, but was it worth calling law enforcement? That night, I sat and cried. I messaged a few friends about what had happened and told them how scared I was. I was scared he might come back, and what would he do?

The very next day, March 10th, I was getting ready to go to an appointment. I heard knocking at my side door. It was completely quiet in my house. I heard the doorknob/handle jiggle – he was trying to open it. I ran to look outside and saw the same pickup from the day before. So, I closed the curtains, crawled into my sunroom to be sure the front door was locked while avoiding being seen, and then hid in my living room. He then went to my front door and tried to open that after he knocked.

I didn’t have a security camera at that time. I also was too afraid to try to catch video or pictures with my phone because I didn’t want him to see me. I didn’t want to face him either. After what he did the day before, I didn’t know what he was capable of. While he was outside, I messaged my neighbor saying, “he’s back”. My neighbor didn’t see the message in time, but she did see him leaving. She’d also seen him the day before, so she knew it was the same guy. I was still unsure as to whether or not I should call the police. I was late to my appointment and told my doctor why I was late. She told me to get some pepper spray and call the police.

After I left my appointment, I stopped at Gary’s Gun shop for the first time in my life. They helped me pick out some things for protection. One gave me the number for the Turner County sheriff’s department and said to call as soon as possible.

I called that evening. Deputy O’Connor came over. After asking me several questions and listening to what all happened, he showed me a line up on his phone. I said two of them look like the guy. He said the two pictures are the same guy. A guy who’s known for harassing women.

On March 12th, although I couldn’t afford it, I bought a Ring video doorbell. I was too afraid to mount it to my house outside without having anyone there with me. So, I propped it up in a window. It couldn’t detect motion like that, but I could use the app or the Amazon Show to give me a LIVE view.

That is how I got him on video on March 25th.

On March 25th 2021, only a few short minutes after a friend left my house, Farrar showed up again. And he, once again, tried both of my doors. I remained hidden in my house and used my phone to make the doorbell record what it could capture.

On April first, I made the choice to try for a protection order.

On May 10th, I was granted the order for protection. It was only for two years, and for him to stay only 450 feet away – so that he could continue using the highway. I was not okay with that, but my attorney said it was good enough. With him still being allowed to drive by, he could see into my backyard. Even though he wasn’t supposed to come near me, he was still allowed to see me from the highway, especially in autumn, winter, and spring when there were no leaves on my neighbor’s trees. I couldn’t possibly know what he is capable of, so with or without the protection order, I could never really relax in my own yard.

My attorney didn’t warn me before I signed it that there was a type of “gag order”. I was not allowed to talk about “this matter” on social media, or news media. I didn’t care about the news. However, I care about my friends, acquaintances, and other potential victims. Putting that in the protection order only served to protect Greg Farrar. The protection order was barely a slap on his wrist. He was protected more than I was.

I’ve misplaced the letter, but I do still have two voicemails from Farrar’s attorney, Robin Eich, from 6/16/2022 and 6/21/2022. Greg Farrar was wanting to modify the protection order – to end it sooner so he could have his guns back. I never responded. I do not have an attorney, and

I wasn’t about to have his attorney trying to talk me into dropping it. The protection order was only a mild inconvenience for him. He was protected more than I was. The Turner County State’s Attorney, for some reason, did not acknowledge the events of March 9th, 2021 – the day he walked into my back yard. In the letter from the victim advocate, Daisy Johnson, only March 25th, 2021 was acknowledged. The letter states, “Please be advised that a report for the review of stalking charges against Greg Farrar for an incident occurring March 25, 2021 has been received by our office. Prosecution of Mr. Farrar has been declined as the facts in the case report do not support a violation of the criminal laws beyond a reasonable doubt.”

March 25 was the day he showed up and tried to open my house doors. I understand how that alone may not be enough. However, March 9th should have been taken into account – along with March 10th, 2021.

Because he walked away with only the minor inconvenience of no guns and staying 450 feet away from me, I told several people he’d do something similar again to someone. He tested the limits and got by with it.

The protection order was done on May 11, 2023. Since then, I’ve had to keep my head on a swivel.

I now have 4 cameras outside. I’m not into “fancy stuff”, but I don’t feel safe without them. My life has changed. I felt safe my first 6 months in Chancellor. I used to leave my house unlocked when I was in my yard making it my own. It was a vacant, neglected house and property that needed a lot of repair. My yard is an extension of my home, and i t’s where I’d typically spend the majority of my time at home.

Even being inside, I don’t feel fully safe. I can’t open windows on my main floor after dark for fear of him standing outside of one of them… looking in, watching me. I cannot afford cameras to cover everything outside.

I’m disabled and spend the majority of my time at home – all alone. I can’t even make it look like someone else might be here with me because I only have one vehicle. So, I have to keep hope that he doesn’t have the guts to try approaching me again, or try getting into my house.

I not only carry pepper spray with me at all times, but I also keep pepper spray and other items near my doors and near me when I’m outside. When I let my dog out to do her business, especially after dark, I am constantly prepared to defend myself. When I prepare to leave my house, I check my cameras, and look out my windows to be sure he isn’t around. When vehicles, especially pickups, that aren’t familiar drive by my house slowly, I get scared. I pay attention to who parks in the First Baptist Church parking lot because it’s at my back yard. I even called law enforcement one time because of a person in a vehicle parked right at my back yard. When I leave my house, I pay attention to if anyone is following me. Especially his white pickup and his dark colored pickup (caught in a video I got on March 25th). My birthday was March 26th, and a pickup kept driving by my house that night… I had plans, and ended up canceling due to being terrified he’d do something.

Because of him, I’ve had to spend several hundred dollars on cameras and more. He’s also changed how I interact with others. The amount of fear… the violation … I’m not as friendly anymore. He pretended to be a good, kind person. That’s the scariest kind of predator out there.

Although I’ve talked with people and warned people in Chancellor and Lennox (where I lived before), it’s still hard to talk about the fear I live in due to Farrar’s actions and him realizing he could get by with physically assaulting women, harassing women, attempting to get into a woman’s home, and terrorizing women.

I may not have caught him on video again, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been back. He is a sick man. I believe he will never stop. I believe he will continue to toe the line more and more if he doesn’t face consequences. And none of us (his victims) know if and when he will do something to us again. And what would he do?

Statement from Jessica Ellen Van Thuyne

I am writing this letter to explain the issues that I have had with Greg Farrar.

The first incident was in March or April of 2018. He showed up at my house at approximately 8:00 am and lightly knocked on the door. I looked out the window and I saw a regular cab white Ford pickup with a chrome cattle guard. I went outside as he was walking to his pickup and asked him if I could help him. He explained to me that he was looking for Marlys and Cory Jensen. They had previously lived on the property but hadn’t lived here for a few years. I told him that they had moved a few miles west of here and offered to get in contact with them for him.

It didn’t take long and he started making comments about how beautiful, tan, and in shape that I was. He made comments about my hair being beautiful and also comments about me living “out here” by myself. I asked him what his name was and he said Greg. I also asked him where he lived and his response was “up north…..way up north.” I knew that Marlys and Cory had moved here from Sisseton so I assumed that he lived up there. He started asking me to have sex with him and I just tried to blow him off because of how uncomfortable I felt. I told him how I don’t think that his wife would appreciate him talking to another woman like this. He then told me that his wife was a wonderful woman but she wouldn’t have sex with him.

By this point I was very uncomfortable and told him that I needed to get back into the house. He asked me if he could have a hug. At that point I just wanted him to leave and be out of the situation. I did give him a hug hoping that would get him to leave. He ended up holding me tight and wouldn’t let me go. He kissed me and I tried to push him away and he told me to “give him some f*cking tongue.” I pushed him as hard as I could and ended up getting away from him and running into the house locking the door and going around double checking the rest of the doors. He ended up leaving.

At the time I was working overnights at a factory in Yankton. For the next 2 weeks he would come to my house every morning between 8:00 and 9:00 am. He would knock on the door really lightly and then aggressively grab the door handle and try to get in. When this had first happened I contacted Marlys Jensen to see if she knew who he was. She said that the only Greg that she knew was Greg Danielsen that lives a few miles west of me. I didn’t know who he was and couldn’t figure it out. I didn’t want to stir up a bunch of drama and cause problems. For all I knew at the time was that he was a well respected man in the community and I was hoping that It would just go away.

Well after a couple of weeks I couldn’t take being scared to be home so one night after work I called non emergency and told them what was going on. They ended up sending a Deputy out and I believe the Officer for Viborg at the time. We were trying to figure out which “Greg” it was and they said that it sounded like something that Greg Farrar would do. If I remember correctly, they went to his house and told him not to come here anymore. After that he would constantly drive past my house and sit parked on the highway. There is also a minimum maintenance road just to the west of my house that he would park on the south side of the highway. He would also park on the road to the west of me. There wasn’t many days that would go by that I didn’t see him. At times he would go past my house and turn around and do that 15 to twenty times. 2 summers ago there was only one time that he didn’t do this when I was mowing and I would mow my yard religiously once a week. I had got to the point that I was too scared to even go outside unless I had to. Before he came around I would go outside and play in the yard with my dogs or go spend time with the horses. Everytime that I called the police they would tell me that he isn’t doing anything illegal because he wasn’t coming onto my property.

Then in December of 2022 I was outside trying to shovel snow in my driveway right after 2 big snowfall amounts. There was a big tractor that pulled up to the end of the driveway. I walked down the driveway to the tractor. By the time I got to it there wasn’t anyone in the cab. All of a sudden he came around the back of the tractor. Instantly my heart sank. He asked me if I wanted him to move snow for me. I’ve lived here for 6 years and I haven’t ever needed anyone to do snow removal. That year was bad though and I really don’t know anyone in the area and the only thing that I had at the time was a grain shovel. I told him that I would pay him and he said that he didn’t need any money. He just happened to be going by and saw me shoveling. He moved the snow and when he was done he said that he wanted to talk to me. He asked me if I knew who he was and I said yes. He asked me why I let him move snow for me. I told him that I was out here moving snow with a grain shovel so it was pretty obvious that I was in a bind. Things seemed fine and he left.

I believe it was the next morning that he came back. I was unloading chicken feed and he started helping. Then he started talking about sex again and wanting me to have sex with him on Wednesday and Friday night. I kept telling him no. He told me to at least think about it. I finally told him that I would think about it just to get him to leave.

The next day I talked to my boss about it and he suggested that I talk to the RO that comes to the school in Parker where I work. After a couple conversations with him he asked me if I would feel more comfortable if he talked to him and I said yes. I was later told that he had contacted him and told him not to come to my house again. The next day he showed up and I called 911. There was a Turner County Deputy that came out along with the Viborg officer. I told them what was going on. They went out driving around looking for him and came back to my house. We talked for a bit and they decided that they would just go to his house and see if he was there. Later they came back again and did say that he was at his house. They talked to him and said that if he comes onto my property again that he would be charged with trespassing.

Since then, to my knowledge he has not been on my property but he still drives by, still parks by my house. The last time was about a month ago that he parked on the minimum maintenance road. No words can explain how this has changed my life. This was my dream home that I wanted to spend the rest of my life at with all of my animals. I have dealt with extreme depression since having to deal with. I don’t even want to go outside and I used to love to be outside doing stuff. I stopped tanning, working out, getting my nails done and even wearing shorts. I’ve gained 30 to 40 lbs. Basically everything that I did that made me feel better about myself. I rarely wear makeup now. I basically have locked myself in the house the last 6 years. Even in the house I am paranoid about him being parked and watching me. I am always looking out the windows… Or walking out the door and he drives by, which will turn into him driving past over and over.