⏱ 2 min read
A federal jury in Pierre, South Dakota, has acquitted Joey Kills Plenty, 26, of Parmelee, of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, and Using and Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. The charges stemmed from an alleged assault with a firearm in August 2025, in Todd County, within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. The case was prosecuted in federal court due to federal law requiring certain violent crimes in Indian Country to be tried at the federal level. The investigation was conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.
The indictment against Kills Plenty was handed down by a federal grand jury in November 2025. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, which went to trial in May 2026. The acquittal marks the end of the federal case against Kills Plenty.
The trial’s outcome is a significant development in the case, which highlighted the complexities of jurisdiction in Indian Country. Federal law mandates that certain crimes committed within Indian reservations be prosecuted in federal court, rather than state court.
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- Tommy Blue Bird, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Assault by Strangulation and Suffocation, South Dakota 2016 · South Dakota
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📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Violent Crime
- Defendant: South Dakota
- Location: SD
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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