A Sioux Falls man, facing a jury for multiple violent crimes that left a man dead in 2020, has been acquitted of three of his four charges this week.A jury found Ryan Noel Aadland, 36, not guilty Tuesday for murder in the first-degree, murder in the second-degree and manslaughter in the second-degree. He was, however, was convicted for possession of a firearm after a violent crime conviction, a Class 6 felony.
That charge carries a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment or a fine of $50,000. At a sentencing hearing, Aadland was given credit for 834 days served and is currently on a parole hold from a previous charge.
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Jury deliberations lasted more than four hours. At Aadland's sentencing Wednesday afternoon, both sides called the case a tragedy.
Aadland was facing charges in the death of Clay Douglas Stubbs, who was shot to death in Sioux Falls in 2020. In the early morning hours of Oct. 8, 2020, officers were dispatched to West 57th Street and Marion Road for an accident in a gas station parking lot. Sioux Falls police said at the time they found Stubbs lying on the ground in front of a crashed vehicle and discovered a gunshot wound under his armpit. Stubbs was transported to a hospital and later died from his injuries.
Police say Stubbs met up with Aadland and another individual for a drug deal, according to initial court documents. The sentencing judge said the jury made the conviction on the fourth charge, because of texts sent to the other individual before the Oct. 8 incident in the early morning hours, according to court documents and previous reporting from the Argus Leader.
In an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant, it was indicated that the other individual informed Aadland that Stubbs had a gun. In a response, Aadland confirmed he was also armed. That was approximately an hour before the fatal shooting, court documents said.
Aadland declined to make a statement during the sentencing hearing.
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This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Ryan Noel Aadland acquitted of 2020 murder of Clay Stubbs
