Tag: South Dakota
Jonathan Sierra, Assault, South Dakota 2026
⏱ 2 min read Jonathan Sierra, a 22-year-old man from Parmelee, South Dakota, attacked a federal officer on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in July 2025. The incident occurred when a Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services officer was speaking to Sierra’s ex-girlfriend at her residence in Mission, South Dakota. Sierra arrived at the scene,…
Kyle James Loudner, Embezzlement, South Dakota 2026
⏱ 2 min read Kyle James Loudner, 40, and Talyn Ashley Douville, 34, of Pukwana, South Dakota, were sentenced to federal prison for embezzling $160,000 from the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. The theft occurred between May 27, 2022, and July 2, 2024, when Loudner, an elected official, and Douville, a tribal employee, drew nearly 100…
Fred Leading Cloud, Stabbing, South Dakota 2025
⏱ 2 min read Fred Leading Cloud, a 68-year-old man from Mission, South Dakota, stabbed a victim in the neck during an altercation on May 22, 2025, on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. The incident led to a federal indictment in September 2025, and Leading Cloud pleaded guilty on April 20, 2026. The case was…
Brenda Fernandez, Meth Trafficking, South Dakota 2024
⏱ 2 min read Brenda Fernandez, a 52-year-old woman from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was caught with 34 grams of pure methamphetamine during a traffic stop on September 1, 2024, in the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. She had a scale, baggies, and a drug ledger in her possession, indicating her intention to distribute the…
John Stanford Roth, Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl, South Dakota 2026
⏱ 2 min read John Stanford Roth, a 58-year-old Arizona man, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The conviction came after a three-day trial that ended on July 8, 2026. Roth worked with a drug trafficking organization led by Matthew Shade to distribute cartel-sourced fentanyl and methamphetamine…
Buffy Redfish, Wire Fraud, South Dakota 2026
⏱ 2 min read Buffy Redfish, a 57-year-old Nebraska woman, has been sentenced to 6 years and 6 months in federal prison for her role in a scheme to defraud the Oglala Sioux Tribe out of millions of dollars. Redfish, who worked for the tribe’s Tribal Employment Rights Office, diverted TERO fee checks totaling over…
Ty Mauldin, Obtaining Drugs by Fraud, Delaware 2026
⏱ 2 min read Ty Mauldin, a 35-year-old South Dakota man, pleaded guilty to ordering thousands of opioid pills by stealing the identities of medical professionals he worked with in Delaware. Mauldin used his access as a medical biller and credentialer to obtain medical professionals’ licensure information and order oxycodone pills from wholesale pharmaceutical suppliers.…
Robert Barbetti, Child Sex Exploitation, South Dakota 2026
⏱ 2 min read A 34-year-old Yankton, South Dakota man, Robert Barbetti, was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison for producing child pornography. The sentencing took place on July 6, 2026, after Barbetti pleaded guilty on April 6, 2026. Between 2018 and 2023, Barbetti used social media platforms to target minor children, coercing them…
Rudolph Bissonette, Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person, South Dakota 2026
⏱ 2 min read Rudolph Bissonette, a 34-year-old Rapid City man, was caught with a pistol and ammunition in his vehicle on October 15, 2025, while driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of .266%. Bissonette, a felon, is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior convictions punishable beyond a year…
Cecle Crist, Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, South Dakota 2026
⏱ 2 min read Cecle Crist, a 53-year-old Hot Springs, South Dakota, man, was sentenced to 7 years in federal prison for possessing firearms as a felon. On November 2025, officers from the Fall River County Sheriff’s Office and the Hot Springs Police Department attempted to arrest Crist on a federal arrest warrant. When they…
