No Justice in Case of Armed Robbery of Repo Man

“I truly regret what I did that night, and it’ll never happen again.”

Pennington County, SD – December 12, 2025 – Firing several warning shots from his pistol, he grabbed the Repossessor by the throat and put the gun to his head. But being an Air Force veteran apparently comes with some privileges. Pleading guilty to second-degree robbery, he walked free.

This is a story that, like many that never make the news, slipped right by us. Way back on May 10^th of 2024, 51-year-old Richard Piltz, a retired Air Force Senior Master Sergeant, confronted an unnamed repossession agent attempting to repossess his vehicle.

According to prosecutors, Piltz engaged the agent with a pistol and fired several rounds before grabbing the agent by the throat and pressing the pistol to his head and threatening to shoot him. He is reported to have later retrieved a loaded rifle.

Police later arrest Piltz and he was charged with multiple felonies for the brazen acts. But last July, he pleaded guilty to one simple count of second-degree robbery.

Despite allowing the plea, Senior Deputy State’s Attorney Thomas described the case as “an extreme and unjustifiable danger to human life” and urged the court to impose the maximum prison term.

But Defense Attorney John Murphy argued that the crime was aberrant behavior, citing Piltz’s remorse, military service, and rehabilitation efforts. Supporters of Piltz submitted more than 200 pages of letters and commendations, including recognition of his 21-year Air Force career, where he rose to Senior Master Sergeant and earned a prestigious Trophy for leadership during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Despite acknowledging that “There is somebody who suffers daily from these events as well,” , namely the Repossessor, Circuit Court Judge Heidi Linngren was clearly swayed by Piltz’s supporters. Acknowledging the seriousness of the crime, she decided that prison was unnecessary, making note of Piltz’s clean record while out on bond and his commitment to counseling and education.

During sentencing, Piltz expressed regret stating, “I truly regret what I did that night, and it’ll never happen again.”

Source: KOTA AM

Editor’s Note: It’ll never happen again… This time I mean it. Not like last time. I guess in the eyes of some courts, if you have enough supporters behind you, it’s understandable if you shove a loaded gun to someone’s head to defend your own failures. Afterall, it was only a Repo Man.