Charges brought, fundraisers abound

Hill City High School freshman Raeleigh Clement was badly burned last Saturday, April 5. 

The injuries came as five friends were gathered around a bonfire at a house, and gasoline was added to the fire. Gas also got onto Clement. The fire blew up, and the 15-year-old was literally set on fire, according to close family friend, Lisa Johnson. 

Johnson said that all the teenagers at the bonfire attend Hill City School District, and that all but one was a minor. Johnson also said the parents and teenagers acted quickly to help Clement.

The Hill City Fire Department, Hill City Ambulance and the Pennington County Sheriff's Office all responded to the incident. 

Captain Taylor Sperle of the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office said   deputies responded to a call for fire service the evening of April 5. A juvenile was arrested and charged that same night. That individual was charged with aggravated assault and reckless burning. South Dakota codified law 22-33-9.3 defines reckless burning as, “Any person who intentionally starts a fire or causes an explosion,” that “thereby recklessly places another person in danger of death or serious bodily injury.” The charge also applies to placing a building or structure in danger. Reckless burning is a Class 4 Felony.

“Everything is still under investigation,” said Sperle. 

Although the address of the incident was not released, the bonfire would have occurred within the Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) Fire Protection District. While the sheriff’s office would not typically cite a burn ban, BHNF could. 

On the evening of the incident, Clement was taken to Rapid City and then flown to Colorado for her injuries. She will require ongoing medical treatment, including several skin grafts to take skin from the right side of her body and replace the burnt areas on the left side of her body.

The burns encompass her ankle to the backside of her left leg, her left arm, her back and neck and the tops of her ears. She is expected to get her first skin graft this week but will need to travel back and forth to Colorado every other week in the coming months to receive additional treatments. 

Blake Gardner, superintendent of the Hill City School District, said, “In a small community, we know and love each one of our students. We care deeply about our students and want all of them to know that our school family will rally around them.”

Counseling services were offered to the impacted students and the district  “worked with law enforcement to navigate this incident.”

There are several ways in which the community can help Clement and her family. 

The Hill City School District will host a walking taco fundraiser to help defer some of the medical costs for the family. The fundraiser takes place Wednesday, April 23, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the high school commons area.  Walking tacos are $5 or anything above that (cash only).

The Gaslight Restaurant in Rockerville will host a fundraiser on April 27 from 2-4 p.m. According to Wendy Bobbe, the fundraiser will have a silent auction with generous donations, including a load of gravel, tongue and groove flooring, several hotel and restaurant packages and a signed guitar from George Strait. There will also be a freewill donation for a nacho bar. Modern Woodsman has offered to match what is raised at the fundraiser. 

“Melissa Clemetson has been incredibly amazing putting this all in motion,” said Bobbe. 

Clement works for Bobbe at Candyland. Bobbe described her as the “sweetest young lady with a big smile on her face all the time.” 

People can also support Clement and her family via  a GoFundMe in the name of Katie Howland, Clement’s mother. The goal is to raise $8,000 to help the family with their expenses including transportation costs to Denver, incidentals like meals and lodging as well as medical expenses.

Visit the site gofundme.com/f/support-raeleighs-burn-recovery-journey.