Lloyd Yankton, Jr. Indicted in Kyle Assault with Wooden Board

Lloyd Yankton, Jr., 36, of Kyle, South Dakota, stands accused of a brutal assault with a wooden board, federal prosecutors revealed after a grand jury indictment handed down on December 20, 2016. The attack occurred near Kyle during a heated argument, leaving a woman with multiple documented injuries.

Yankton appeared in federal court on December 30, 2016, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann, where he formally pleaded not guilty to the charge of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. Despite his plea, the evidence gathered by federal and tribal investigators paints a disturbing picture of unprovoked violence.

The wooden board used in the assault has been identified as the dangerous weapon central to the federal charge. Prosecutors allege Yankton wielded it with enough force to inflict serious harm, escalating what began as a verbal dispute into a criminal act under federal jurisdiction.

If convicted, Yankton faces up to 10 years in federal prison, a fine of $250,000, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The court may also order restitution to the victim for medical and related expenses.

The investigation was jointly led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, underscoring the collaboration between federal and tribal law enforcement in addressing violent crime on sovereign lands. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Patterson is handling the prosecution.

Yankton remains in custody, detained pending trial. No trial date has yet been scheduled. The indictment is an accusation; under federal law, Yankton is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.