Storm Lake tip helps solve Sioux Falls assault, suspect arrested

A man walked into the Storm Lake Police Department on May 16 with a warning and a video that sent officers onto a case stretching from Buena Vista County to Sioux Falls. The tip said another man had told him he had "just killed a man in Sioux Falls," and the footage appeared to show a person lying motionless and bleeding in a hotel room while another man kicked him in the chest and neck.

Storm Lake officers passed the information to Sioux Falls authorities the same night, and investigators there traced the scene to the Econolodge on North Cliff Avenue. Hotel staff had found blood in one of the rooms, and court documents say cleaners later found a bloody pillow that may have been linked to the assault. The victim had already called Sioux Falls police on May 9 to report that someone had forced his way into his room, and he later woke up with rib pain and bleeding from his left ear.

Sioux Falls police identified the suspect as 23-year-old Jafet Almendarez after reviewing the video. Investigators said the footage showed him wearing a hat that was later recovered inside the victim’s room, and it also showed a wallet that matched the victim’s description. Storm Lake police located Almendarez shortly after getting the information and arrested him, turning a local tip into the first direct law-enforcement action in the case.

Almendarez is being held in the Buena Vista County Jail on a charge of possession of a controlled substance and out-of-state warrants, with bond set at $51,000. Sioux Falls authorities issued a $75,000 cash-only warrant for him on charges of aggravated assault, burglary and robbery. He was also being held as a fugitive from justice.

The Sioux Falls Area Fugitive Task Force is used for high-risk warrants involving crimes such as robbery, aggravated assault and even murder, underscoring the level of coordination that followed the Storm Lake tip. Sioux Falls police also said Almendarez had previously been arrested earlier in 2026 for allegedly threatening employees at multiple businesses on the north side of the city.