Tag: South Dakota
Pine Ridge Woman Sentenced
⏱ 2 min read Bessie Rose Brewer, a 33-year-old woman from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, has been sentenced to over 4 years in federal prison for her role in a cocaine distribution conspiracy and possession of a firearm as a prohibited person. The sentence comes after a traffic stop in January 2025, where law enforcement…
Tax Scam
⏱ 2 min read Michael Wiese, 66, and Audrey Saylor, 65, of De Smet, South Dakota, were sentenced on March 18, 2026, for their roles in willfully failing to collect or pay over $600,000 in employment tax from their company, American Engineered Products, LLC. The couple, who co-owned and operated the business, pleaded guilty on…
Reservation Assault
⏱ 2 min read Oliver Brown Bull, a 38-year-old man from Kyle, South Dakota, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for brutally assaulting another man on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The assault occurred on January 31, 2025, when Brown Bull pushed the victim to the ground and punched him multiple times in the…
Fentanyl Dealer Busted
⏱ 2 min read Ashlee Vanarsdale, a 39-year-old woman from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, that resulted in a near-fatal overdose of a woman on June 5, 2025. Vanarsdale sold half a gram of fentanyl powder to the victim for $150,…
Sioux Falls Con Artist Gets 6 Months for Forging a $2,500 Check
⏱ 2 min read A Sioux Falls man is going down for a slick $2,500 check scam. Brandon Phillips, 32, cashed the forged check at a local credit union in June 2025. Phillips’ scheme was simple but effective: get your hands on a forged check for $2,500 and cash it in. The problem was, the…
Ex-Con’s Rifle Lands Him 2.5 Years in Federal Prison
SIOUX FALLS, SD – Robert Wolfe Jr., a 45-year-old Sisseton resident with a history, is trading the South Dakota plains for a federal cell after a raid on his home uncovered an illegal firearm. Wolfe received a 30-month sentence from Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange on Wednesday, March 13, 2026, a penalty stemming from his…
Felon’s Rifle Lands Him 2.5 Years in Federal Lockup
A Sisseton, South Dakota man is trading the wide-open plains for a federal prison cell after the feds caught him illegally possessing a rifle. Robert Wolfe Jr., 45, was sentenced to two and a half years behind bars this week, the culmination of a raid and investigation that began nearly two years ago. It started…
Ex-Con Back Behind Bars: Rifle Lands SD Man 2.5 Years
SISSETON, SD – Robert Wolfe Jr., a 45-year-old Sisseton resident with a history, is trading the South Dakota plains for a federal prison cell. Wolfe received a 30-month sentence on March 13, 2026, after pleading guilty to illegally possessing a firearm – a Remington bolt-action rifle found during a raid of his property. The case…
South Dakota Felon’s Rifle Lands Him 2.5 Years Inside
A Sisseton, South Dakota man is trading the wide-open plains for a federal cell after a judge sentenced him to over two years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm. Robert Wolfe Jr., 45, learned his fate on March 13th, when Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange delivered a 30-month sentence – 2.5 years – for…
South Dakota Crime Statistics 2023: A Year of Rising Violent Crime
The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program paints a grim picture of South Dakota’s crime landscape in 2023. According to the data, violent crime rates surged across the state, with law enforcement agencies reporting a significant increase in homicides. This upward trend mirrors the national pattern, where violent crime rates were on the rise in…
