A Parmelee man who admitted assaulting a man, then blaming his own brother for the crime, will spend three years in federal prison.
Aubrey J. Two Elk, 24, pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury and false statement. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence Piersol to 36 months in prison on each count, with the sentences to run concurrently. He also must complete three years of supervised release.
Two Elk originally was indicted on a second-degree murder charge. The Todd County man he assaulted, 55-year-old Eli High Pipe, died of the injuries he received in the December 2006 assault.
Two Elk admitted to assaulting High Pipe and then telling investigators that his brother, Richard Young, had hit High Pipe in the back of the head with a long club. Two Elk could have faced life in prison on the murder charge.
In other federal court news:
y Claudia Lenore Longman, 55, Martin, was convicted of misuse of Supplemental Security Income benefits, failure to report an event affecting SSI eligibility, theft of government funds and false statement after a jury trial in Rapid City. According to a news release from the Social Security Administration, Longman received $7,072 in SSI payments intended for the benefit of her grandson, who was in the care of the Children's Home Society at Rockerville. The theft charge is punishable by a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The other charges carry maximum penalties of five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
y George Casey Schmidt, 25, Rosebud, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon and aiding and abetting. The charge relates to the assault of two Todd County men in December 2007. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Schmidt was released pending sentencing Oct. 6.
y Manfred Fast Horse, 47, Rosebud, pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with violating the Lacey Act. The charges relate to a scheme to violate state, tribal and federal wildlife regulations by taking elk and deer without proper licenses and transferring big game licenses. Fast Horse was a guide for "All About the Hunt," an outfitting business near Witten, at the time. The maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Fast Horse was released on bond pending sentencing Oct. 6.
y Regina Makes Room For Them, 22, Mission, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging her with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and child abuse and neglect. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the charges involve the assault of a 7-month-old child in March 2008 in Todd County. The maximum penalty upon conviction of the assault charge is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The child abuse charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine upon conviction. Makes Room For Them was released pending trial.
y James D. Sickles, 29, Terre Haute, Ind., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Andrew Bogue to five years of probation and ordered to pay $25,395.93 in child support restitution. Sickles pleaded guilty to failure to pay legal child support.
y Ever David Granados, 29, Albuquerque, N.M., pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Federal court documents show he and another man, Gonzalo Lechugo Morales, are accused of conspiring to distribute marijuana between June 14, 2006, and June 14, 2008. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Granados was detained pending trial Sept. 9.
Editor's note: The U.S. District Court generally prosecutes felonies committed on reservations, and tribal courts handle misdemeanor crimes. Felonies that happen off the reservation are prosecuted in state/circuit court and are reported separately in the Journal. Some drug and firearms cases are also prosecuted in federal court.
