Overview
- Amy Knox, 45, was charged with three counts of misappropriating public money and three counts of embezzlement, pleaded not guilty, and is held on $200,000 bail with a maximum exposure of seven years in prison if convicted.
- Authorities allege more than $130,000 paid to Harm Reduction-SD for fentanyl prevention was spent on cosmetic surgeries totaling about $30,000, trips to Hawaii and Disneyland, purebred dogs and training, martial arts classes, and personal utility and credit card bills.
- Court records show Knox previously pleaded guilty in 2015 to felony grand theft exceeding $500,000, yet prosecutors say she was allowed to oversee millions without an initial background check and the nonprofit received a second county contract in August 2024 after the conviction was discovered.
- The county terminated Harm Reduction-SD’s contracts in June 2025 after CEO Tara Stamos-Buesig reported suspicious charges, and she says the loss of funding forced layoffs and crippled services.
- District Attorney Summer Stephan says the probe continues into county safeguards and any additional involvement, urges whistleblower reports, and court calendars list a Feb. 25 bail review and an April 1 readiness hearing.