A 45-year-old Wakpala man has been sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for assaulting his intimate partner, leaving her with substantial bodily injury.
Phillip Lewis Young Hawk, 45, of Wakpala, South Dakota, was sentenced on June 10, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann, following a guilty plea on December 18, 2023.
The assault occurred on April 7, 2023, on a rural roadside near Wakpala, a town within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. According to court documents, Young Hawk quarreled with his girlfriend, then kicked her twice as she lay helpless on the ground, whimpering and pleading.
The victim briefly lost consciousness and suffered significant bruising to her face. Young Hawk has a history of domestic violence, with several prior convictions.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office under the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute mandating the prosecution of certain violent crimes in Indian country.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem led the prosecution, with the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services conducting the investigation.
Young Hawk was ordered to pay a special assessment of $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and will serve three years of supervised release upon his release from prison.
He was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The brutal assault has raised concerns about domestic violence in Indian country, where such crimes are often underreported and underprosecuted.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Dakota has vowed to continue prioritizing these cases and bringing perpetrators to justice.
Related Federal Cases
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- Wakpala Woman Sentenced to 13 Years for Mother’s Stabbing · South Dakota
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Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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