The Storm Lake Police Department helped initiate a multi‑state investigation last month that resulted in an arrest in a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, assault case.
According to the Sioux Falls Police Department, the case began on May 16, when a man walked into the Storm Lake Police Department and reported that another man had told him he “had just killed a man in Sioux Falls.” The informant also provided officers with a video he received — a recording that appeared to show a man lying motionless and bleeding inside a hotel room while another man kicked him in the chest and neck.
Storm Lake police forwarded the information and the video to Sioux Falls authorities that same night. Investigators were able to trace the location to the Econolodge on North Cliff Avenue in Sioux Falls, where hotel staff had recently found blood inside one of the rooms.
Hotel records identified the guest who had stayed there — the same man who had called Sioux Falls police on May 9 to report that someone forced their way into his room. The victim told officers he later woke up with severe rib pain and bleeding from his ear.
After reviewing the video, Sioux Falls police identified the suspect as 23‑year‑old Jafet Almendarez. The video allegedly showed him wearing a hat later recovered inside the victim’s hotel room, and also depicted him taking a wallet that matched the victim’s description.
Storm Lake police located Almendarez shortly after receiving the information and arrested him. He is currently being held in the Buena Vista County Jail on a charge of possession of a controlled substance and out-of-state warrants, with bond set at $51,000.
Sioux Falls authorities issued a warrant for Almendarez on aggravated assault, burglary and robbery charges. That warrant carries a $75,000 cash-only bond.
