Jerome Moses Goodhouse, Jr., Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child, South Dakota 2022

Pierre, South Dakota – A heinous crime has shaken the community of McLaughlin, South Dakota, as a local man has been sentenced to life in federal prison for the aggravated sexual abuse of two minor children.

Jerome Moses Goodhouse, Jr., age 31, was convicted of two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child and one count of Witness Tampering. The crimes took place in 2017, with Goodhouse sexually abusing the two minors on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation in McLaughlin.

According to the indictment, after abusing one minor, Goodhouse threatened her and told her to remain quiet about what he did to her. This horrific act of violence and intimidation has left the community reeling.

Goodhouse was indicted for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child and Witness Tampering by a federal grand jury in January 2022. He was convicted by a jury on all charges on August 24, 2022.

On November 14, 2022, U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann sentenced Goodhouse to life in federal prison on both counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child, 20 years in federal prison for Witness Tampering, and ordered him to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, Standing Rock Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron J. Cook and Carl Thunem prosecuted the case. Goodhouse was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

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