Wanblee Man Indicted for Assaulting a Federal Officer

United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Wanblee, South Dakota, man was charged in federal district court with Assault on a Federal Officer.

Shawn Ashley, age 47, was charged on August 22, 2017. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on August 25, 2017, and pleaded not guilty to the charge. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 8 years of imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The charge relates to Ashley, while on bond in a separate criminal case, assaulting an on-duty Oglala Sioux Tribe police officer in June 2017 at Wanblee. The charge is merely an accusation and Ashley is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Patterson is prosecuting the case.

Ashley was released pending trial. A trial date has not been set.