James Short Bear, Third Degree Burglary, South Dakota 2014

A Chamberlain man has been sentenced for his role in a string of burglaries across the region.

Twenty-year-old James Short Bear, who was 19 at the time of the offenses, was sentenced to 15 months in custody on each count to be served concurrently.

The convictions stem from two separate incidents. The first occurred between February 10 and 11, 2014, when Short Bear broke into the Crow Creek Housing Authority Office in Fort Thompson and stole two checkbooks.

He attempted to cash one of the reported stolen checks at the Wells Fargo Bank in Lower Brule, but was recognized and law enforcement was summoned.

During the investigation, law enforcement was contacted by the Crow Creek Food Distribution Program in Fort Thompson, who discovered that Short Bear had attempted to enter their building on February 10, 2014.

The second conviction stems from an incident which happened between March 2 and 3, 2014, when Short Bear broke into the Chamberlain Post Office by breaking the postmaster's door.

He stole a postal money order in the amount of $210 and a check made out to AT&T, which he changed the payee name on and attempted to cash at a local bank.

Short Bear was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 11, 2014, for the Third Degree Burglary charge, and was indicted again on April 15, 2014, on the Burglary of a U.S. Post Office charge.

He pled guilty on August 11, 2014, to both charges.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Crow Creek Agency, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.

Short Bear was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Short Bear's sentence also included 2 years of supervised release on each count to be served concurrently, $1,040.88 in restitution to Crow Creek Housing, $1,206.85 in restitution to the Crow Creek Food Distribution Program, and $7,976.40 to the United States Postal Service, Chamberlain Post Office.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/chamberlain-man-sentenced-burglary-charges