Walter Hanson Jr. Sentenced for Throat Slashing in Eagle Butte

A 31-year-old Eagle Butte man slashed a man’s throat with a knife during a drunken argument in a moving vehicle last January, federal court documents reveal. Walter Hanson Jr. was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison on December 20, 2016, after pleading guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon, a charge stemming from the near-fatal attack just below the victim’s jawline.

The incident unfolded on January 13, 2016, when Hanson and another man began drinking and socializing before getting into a car and driving around Eagle Butte, eventually heading toward Cherry Creek. What started as casual drinking turned violent when a verbal dispute erupted between the two men. Without warning, Hanson produced a knife and slashed the victim across the throat, leaving a deep, bleeding laceration.

After the attack, Hanson fled the vehicle on foot, abandoning the bleeding victim, who managed to stagger to his mother’s nearby home to seek help. Emergency responders arrived and rushed the man to a medical facility, where doctors used 29 sutures to close the wound. The severity of the injury underscored the brutality of the assault and the narrow margin between assault and murder.

Hanson was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 13, 2016, and entered a guilty plea on October 4, 2016, in U.S. District Court. On sentencing day, Judge Roberto A. Lange handed down the 48-month prison term, followed by three years of supervised release. Hanson was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The investigation was led by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, highlighting the critical role tribal police play in prosecuting violent crime on federal lands. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller handled the prosecution, securing a conviction that delivers a measure of justice for the victim and the community.

Following sentencing, Hanson was immediately taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service. The case stands as a chilling reminder of how quickly alcohol-fueled confrontations can spiral into life-threatening violence in isolated, high-risk communities across South Dakota’s reservations.