Harvey Renville, 63, of Agency Village, South Dakota, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison for abusive sexual contact with a person incapable of consent. The sentence, handed down January 5, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann, marks the end of a grim chapter that began with grooming and escalated to criminal violation.
Renville admitted to initiating direct contact with the victim’s genitalia using his hand and finger during a period when the victim was physically and legally unable to consent. The abuse occurred between May and December 31, 2012, after the victim began regularly visiting Renville’s home under the guise of caring for family horses. What started as casual contact turned predatory.
At the time of the assaults, Renville was already a registered sex offender, convicted previously of a separate sex offense. Despite this legal obligation and the scrutiny that should accompany it, he exploited access to a vulnerable individual, weaving himself into the fabric of the victim’s daily life before committing the crime.
Charged by federal indictment on March 15, 2016, Renville ultimately pled guilty to a Superseding Information on December 13, 2016. His plea cut short a trial but did not spare him from a six-year federal sentence, followed by a decade of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The FBI led the investigation into Renville’s actions, peeling back layers of manipulation and silence to bring the case to justice. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted, emphasizing the violation of trust and the defendant’s prior record as aggravating factors in the sentencing phase.
Immediately after sentencing, Renville was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. The case stands as a stark reminder of how predators exploit proximity and vulnerability—especially when past offenses don’t lead to prevention, only prosecution.
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Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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