Bradlee One Feather, 28, of Eagle Butte, South Dakota, was sentenced to time served and ordered to pay $4,077.99 in restitution after admitting to driving a stolen Dodge pickup across tribal lands in a drunken joyride that ended with the vehicle stuck in the mud. The conviction, handed down February 5, 2018, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange, marks the end of a months-long federal case rooted in a brazen act of theft on February 5, 2017.
On that day, One Feather took possession of a Dodge pickup he knew had been stolen, according to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota. Ignoring the vehicle’s illicit origins, he drove it from Eagle Butte to Little Eagle, then onward to McLaughlin — a 60-mile stretch of rural backroads — where he used the truck to visit associates and buy beer. The joyride reeked of disregard for the law, prosecutors said, and ended when the pickup became lodged during a drop-off in Little Eagle.
One Feather’s actions triggered a federal investigation led by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Service, which has jurisdiction over much of the area where the crime occurred. Because the incident took place on tribal land and involved a stolen vehicle crossing federal jurisdictional lines, the case was swiftly handed to the Department of Justice. A federal grand jury indicted One Feather on August 16, 2017.
He entered a guilty plea on November 15, 2017, admitting to the charge of larceny of government property — a classified federal offense when tribal-owned or federally assisted assets are involved. Though the truck was privately owned, its theft and transport on tribal land brought it under federal criminal statutes, allowing for prosecution in U.S. District Court.
At sentencing, One Feather received no additional prison time beyond the time already served, but was slapped with three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The restitution, totaling $4,077.99, is meant to cover damages and losses tied to the stolen vehicle’s misuse.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller, who prosecuted the case, emphasized that even seemingly minor thefts on tribal land carry federal consequences. One Feather was immediately turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service following sentencing. The case serves as a stark reminder: on tribal reservations, a stolen truck isn’t just a local crime — it’s a federal offense with real teeth.
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Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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