Robert Lee Burnette, Assaulting a Federal Officer, South Dakota 2018

South Dakota Man Sentenced for Assaulting a Federal Officer

A 24-year-old man from Rosebud, South Dakota, was sentenced to 7 months in prison for assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.

Robert Lee Burnette, a/k/a Robert Small Bear, Jr., a/k/a Robert Small Bear, a/k/a B.J. Small Bear, was convicted of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer with a Dangerous Weapon.

Burnette was sentenced to 7 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on July 14, 2017, in the North Antelope Community, near Mission, South Dakota.

According to authorities, Burnette was drunk and causing a disturbance at a residence in North Antelope when an officer arrived to find him standing in the street brandishing a knife and yelling at another man who was holding a bar.

The officer drew his duty weapon, aimed it at Burnette, ordered him to drop the knife, and ordered the other man to back up. Burnette ignored the officer's repeated commands and began to approach the other man, brandishing the knife and yelling.

As Burnette walked past the officer and neared the other man, the officer fired at Burnette, wounding him in the buttocks. Burnette then went to the ground and complied with a command to drop the knife.

Burnette was subsequently hospitalized for his injuries.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

Burnette was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/rosebud-man-sentenced-assaulting-federal-officer-3