Wastewin Jonnie Waukechon, 39, of Mission, South Dakota, looked stone-faced as U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange handed down a 9-month prison sentence on February 5, 2018. The charge? Misprision of a felony — a crime that reeks of complicity without pulling the trigger. Waukechon didn’t sell the meth, but she watched it happen and said nothing.
The feds say Waukechon drove Richard Neiss from Rapid City to Eagle Butte on February 8, 2017, knowing full well he planned to move drugs. When Neiss sold 11.1 grams of crystal meth to a buyer in the middle of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, Waukechon didn’t flinch. She stood by, eyes open, mouth shut. Then, when questioned by federal law enforcement, she kept her silence — a silence that became her undoing.
Originally staring down far heavier charges — Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Distribution of a Controlled Substance, and Possession with Intent to Distribute — Waukechon cut a deal. On November 13, 2017, she pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony, a lesser charge that still carries teeth. The March 15, 2017, federal indictment painted her as more than a bystander. The plea made her accountable for knowing about a felony and doing nothing to stop it.
Her punishment: 9 months behind bars, 1 year of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. No fines, no flashy appeals — just a quiet handover to the U.S. Marshals Service moments after the gavel fell. No room for drama. No second chances.
The investigation was a joint bloodhound operation: Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services Narcotics Division, and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. They’ve seen this story before — accomplices in the shadows, pretending ignorance. This time, the feds made an example.
Assistant U.S. Attorney SaraBeth Donovan prosecuted the case without fanfare. No headlines, no press conference. Just the cold mechanics of justice grinding forward. Waukechon’s name now joins the long list of those who thought silence was safe. In federal court, silence speaks volumes — and sometimes, it lands you in prison.
RELATED: Houston Woman Pleads in Cross-Country Coke Run
Related Federal Cases
- Eagle Butte Man Cops to Meth Distribution Scheme · South Dakota
- Mission Man Norman Lee Ritter Sentenced in Meth Conspiracy · South Dakota
- Kass Gayton Cops Plea in Meth Conspiracy Case · South Dakota
- Meth Conspiracy Lands Couple in Prison · Iowa
- Skarin, Meisner Jailed for Meth · Iowa
Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug Trafficking