Rapid City Man Indicted in Kidnapping of Juvenile

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man was charged in federal district court with Kidnapping of a Minor by a Registered Sex Offender and Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity by a Registered Sex Offender.

Christopher Bald Eagle, age 65, was charged on January 7, 2020.  Bald Eagle appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on January 29, 2020, and pleaded not guilty to the charges.  The penalty upon conviction is a mandatory minimum of 35 years up to a maximum of life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, a mandatory minimum of 5 years up to lifetime supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The charges relate to Bald Eagle, a previously registered sex offender, transporting a minor female from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, to Denver, Colorado, against her will in December 2019 and sexually assaulting her.  The charges are merely an accusation and Bald Eagle is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Denver Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins is prosecuting the case.

Bald Eagle was detained pending trial.  A trial date has not been set.