Controversial federal wildlife agent Bob Prieksat said Tuesday that his move to Nebraska doesn't mean he's been chased out of South Dakota by Gov. Mike Rounds and other harsh critics of his past law enforcement techniques.

Prieksat, 53, remains in his position as supervisor of law enforcement for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska. But he recently moved his office from Pierre to a national wildlife refuge complex along the Missouri River north of Omaha. Prieksat said the move is unrelated to conflicts he has had with some hunters, a well-publicized criminal case against Pierre wild-game processor Caleb Gilkerson or related efforts by Rounds to push him out of South Dakota.

"I requested to move my office, and they let me, for personal reasons, basically," Prieksat said. "As far as this having anything to do with Rounds or Gilkerson, this doesn't have a thing to do with that."

Prieksat and his wife have family in the Omaha area. The move also fit in with a reorganization of law enforcement offices in the Dakotas and Nebraska, he said. Those changes included moving the law enforcement officer in Pierre to Corps of Engineers offices and moving the agent in Rapid City to a U.S. Forest Service center. In total, changes in the three states will save about $65,000 a year, Prieksat said.

"And it really doesn't matter where my office is, as a supervisor," he said.

Gary Mowad, F&WS deputy chief in Washington, D.C., said Tuesday that Prieksat's move had nothing to do with past controversy. Mowad said the office changes in the Dakotas and Nebraska were part of an overall reorganization of law enforcement in the eight-state region.

Mowad was Prieksat's regional supervisor before moving on to the national office. The new regional law enforcement supervisor wanted to change the structure in the region, Mowad said.

"Like many replacements, he took a look at the region and started working on work force plans that he felt would be best," Mowad said.

Mowad defended Prieksat during the period when Rounds and Rob Skjonsberg, then the governor's chief of staff, were pushing for his removal. Mowad said his feelings haven't changed.

"I think the citizens of South Dakota were lucky to have Bob there," Mowad said. "And he'll still be supervising that state, and they're still fortunate to have him as supervisor over South Dakota."

Rounds and Skjonsberg criticized Prieksat for using heavy-handed law enforcement techniques. And Gilkerson continues to contest his conviction for possessing untagged geese in a 2006 case that Prieksat took to federal prosecutors. Gilkerson contends he has been victimized by Prieksat and believes the agent should have been fired.

Contact Kevin Woster at 394-8413 or kevin.woster@rapidcityjournal.com