Former Rapid City, South Dakota anchor Shad Olson was arrested on an aggravated assault domestic violence allegation last week.
The 51-year-old Olson is being held at the Meade County Jail on a $5,000 bond.
According to the probable cause affidavit supporting Olson’s arrest, he allegedly assaulted a woman on February 2 at his home north of Rapid City in Meade County.
The woman told the Meade County Sheriff’s Office that Olson allegedly threw her onto the ground four or five times and choked her.
Olson is a conservative podcaster who once worked at KOTA as an anchor until he spoke at a Tea Party rally held in April 2010. His supervisors called the move “an ethical lapse” and suspended him from his on-air position a few days later. He worked off the air until he announced his voluntary resignation the next month.
After KOTA, Olson started the The Shad Olson Show, a right-wing website and podcast. In 2018, he worked as a campaign consultant for former state Senator Neal Tapio as he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Olson is scheduled to appear in Meade County Court for his arraignment on February 21.
Aggravated assault is a class 3 felony with a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to a $30,000 fine.