United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell has announced that a Timber Lake, South Dakota, resident has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for Abusive Sexual Contact with a minor.
Jaren Loren Lane Mellette, 27, faced the sentence on August 25, 2025, from U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann.
Mellette was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2024 and pleaded guilty on June 3, 2025. He is now required to serve five years of supervised release after his prison term and pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The incident, which led to Mellette’s conviction, occurred during the summer of 2023 when he groped a 13-year-old girl without her consent in Corson County, South Dakota. This case was prosecuted under the Major Crimes Act, allowing federal jurisdiction over crimes committed within Indian country, specifically the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation.
Project Safe Childhood played a crucial role in this prosecution, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The FBI conducted the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem handling the prosecution.
Mellette has been remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following his sentencing.
Related Federal Cases
- Colorado Man Indicted for Sexual Misconduct Against Minors · Colorado
- Pine Ridge Man Acquitted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse · South Dakota
- Winner Man Sentenced to 60 Months for Child Sexual Assault · South Dakota
- McLaughlin Man Facing Life Sentence for Aggravated Sexual Abuse · South Dakota
- Sisseton Man Indicted in Brutal Assault & Sexual Abuse · South Dakota
Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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