Little Eagle Woman Gets Probation for Enabling Child Abuse

Little Eagle Woman Gets Probation for Enabling Child Abuse

Adele Fay Fast Horse, a 26-year-old woman from Little Eagle, South Dakota, has been sentenced for her role in a gruesome child abuse case on the Standing Rock Reservation.

According to court documents, Fast Horse was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay a special assessment of $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The case began in April 2023 when Fast Horse’s 14-year-old niece showed her disturbing photographs of Fast Horse’s husband kissing a 12-year-old girl in Little Eagle. In a twisted act of facilitation, Fast Horse offered her niece $20 to beat up the 12-year-old girl.

The niece and several other individuals broke into the 12-year-old’s home, assaulting her and causing minor injuries. When the niece showed Fast Horse a recording of the assault, she paid her niece the $20, further implicating her in the crime.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of South Dakota. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem led the prosecution, citing the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute that mandates the prosecution of violent crimes in Indian country.

Aberdeen-based U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced the sentencing, marking the latest development in a disturbing case that highlights the need for increased vigilance against child abuse on Native American reservations.

Fast Horse pleaded guilty to the charges on October 30, 2023, after being indicted by a federal grand jury in June of that year. The sentencing took place on May 20, 2024, bringing a measure of closure to the victims and their families.