Kelly Gene Clown Sentenced for Brutal Assault in Dupree

A 41-year-old man from Dupree, South Dakota, delivered a vicious beating to a victim near Thunder Butte in 2015 — and finally faced justice in federal court. Kelly Gene Clown was sentenced on January 4, 2017, to six months in federal custody for Assault by Striking, Beating, and Wounding, a charge rooted in a savage attack that left the victim battered and bloodied.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno handed down the sentence, which also includes one year of supervised release and a $25 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Clown, who did not contest the charges, had previously pled guilty on October 4, 2016, to the reduced charge after initially being indicted by a federal grand jury on March 15, 2016, for the more serious offense of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon.

The assault unfolded on May 23, 2015, in a remote area near Thunder Butte, where Clown launched an unprovoked attack on the victim, repeatedly striking and kicking him in the face. Details of the confrontation, though sparse in court records, indicate a brutal and personal assault that triggered federal jurisdiction due to the crime occurring on tribal land.

The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services led the investigation, navigating jurisdictional complexities common in crimes committed on Native American reservations. Their work ensured evidence was secured and the case was properly brought into the federal system, where Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson took charge of prosecution.

Clown avoided immediate incarceration by being ordered to self-report to the U.S. Marshals Service by January 20, 2017. The six-month prison term reflects the seriousness of the assault, though legal observers note the sentence could have been longer had the original dangerous weapon charge not been dropped as part of the plea agreement.

This case underscores the federal government’s continued role in prosecuting violent crimes on tribal lands, where local and federal authorities often collaborate to deliver justice. For Kelly Gene Clown, the beating may have lasted minutes — but the consequences will stretch well beyond his time behind bars.