A 27-year-old man from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, has been federally indicted on charges stemming from a violent assault that left a victim with serious injuries and was carried out through strangulation and suffocation. Seth Stadel was named in a federal grand jury indictment unsealed August 11, 2020, after an attack that occurred in the small town of Lantry on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation.
According to the indictment, Stadel assaulted an individual on June 10, 2020, inflicting serious bodily injury. The attack escalated when he allegedly strangled and suffocated the victim, actions that carry enhanced penalties under federal law due to their life-threatening nature. The details of the assault remain under investigation, but the charges suggest a brutal and sustained physical confrontation.
Stadel appeared in federal court on August 13, 2020, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno, where he formally entered a plea of not guilty. Despite his plea, prosecutors are moving forward with the case, which could land Stadel behind bars for up to 10 years if convicted. He also faces a potential $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $100 payment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may be added depending on the victim’s losses.
The charges against Stadel are federal due to the nature of the crime occurring on tribal land, where the U.S. government has jurisdiction over certain violent offenses. The investigation was led by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, working in coordination with federal authorities to build the case. Their work has resulted in one of the more serious assault prosecutions seen recently in the region.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller is prosecuting the case on behalf of the federal government. Miller has handled several high-profile violent crime cases on tribal lands, where jurisdictional complexities often slow justice. This indictment signals a swift response to the assault, underscoring federal commitment to public safety in Indian Country.
Following his arraignment, Stadel was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and remains detained pending trial. No trial date has been scheduled. The case remains under active prosecution, and Stadel is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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