In the sequel to the documentary, David Zokaites describes the incident that led to his arrest

Sioux Falls political troublemaker David Zokaites describes in a new short documentary the circumstances that led to his arrest – and eventual release – for domestic violence earlier this year.

It is a sequel of sorts to an earlier short film called “Mayor Quest,” produced by Sioux Falls-based Jacob Vande Vegte and released in February.

“David Z: Revizited” focuses on the story behind Zokaites' arrest in April for an incident at his home in which a woman said she was strangled. Charges of aggravated domestic violence and interfering with emergency communications were dropped a month later.

Zokaites ran unsuccessfully twice for mayor and once for a seat on the Sioux Falls City Council. During his 2018 candidacy, he released a memorable music video showing himself saving citizens from zombies invading Sioux Falls.

In the latest documentary, he explains how a girlfriend obtained a protection order against him but continued to show up at his house in the middle of the night.

“I'm hanging out at my house getting ready for bed, and this drunk woman comes in, dynamically ranging from not so bad to horribly, violently, dangerously angry,” he says in the film. “Just not a good scene. Please just go away.”

The woman had previously told him that if she got out of control, he should “push her on a pillow and just let me scream,” Zokaites says.

“Okay, I would prefer if you sought psychiatric treatment,” he says.

So he did, but this time. The woman panicked and said he tried to suffocate her. Zokaites thinks she forgot her previous instructions.

Zokaites further explains that he called the police and shares a video of the conversations with officers. He says he plans to represent himself in a civil lawsuit against the city and continue to pursue his political ambitions.

“Why do I continue to run for mayor after being so disappointed the last few times? Well, because I believe in the mission of better government,” he says.

Sioux Falls Live caught up with up-and-coming filmmaker Vande Vegte to talk about “David Z: Revizited.”

SFL: Why did you make the sequel?

JVV: I was curious about the details of his arrests. After spending time with him while making the first documentary, it seemed out of character for him to be such a violent criminal. Something didn't add up to me about the person I was interviewing and the allegations against him.

David is a polarizing figure and many people have been messaging me, telling me about his arrest and asking me for details. Reactions have ranged from surprise to feeling like this confirmed suspicions they've always had about him. I wanted to get to the bottom of this and let David make his case too. I thought the way he was portrayed in the media was a little unfair. The connection of his mugshot to the charges created a very strong presumption of guilt, which I think was potentially misleading.

I still have unanswered questions about the events and would have liked more details. Unfortunately, I was not able to interview the alleged victim or access relevant police documents such as 911 calls or bodycam footage.

SFL: Why do you think people are interested in or fascinated by David?

JVV: I think people are interested in him because he is so different from the image of a conventional politician. While most are very stuffy and stoic, David is definitely not that.

His political ambitions are secondary to me. I'm more interested in the outsider, underdog aspect. Love him or hate him, I think you have to respect that he's committed to his dream and pursuing it in his own way.

SFL: What did you learn from making these two documentaries?

JVV: Producing these two documentaries was a great learning experience for me. My goal is to produce engaging content that evokes an emotional response from the viewer and these projects helped me hone my skills as a filmmaker.

I also had to learn a lot more about local politics and become more aware of it. Voter turnout in local elections is abysmal and I think our community would be much better off if more people were actively involved in local decision-making. We don't have to go to every city council meeting like David does, but it might be a good idea to attend one every now and then.