Pine Ridge Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Child Abuse and Making False Statements to a Federal Agency
| U.S. Attorney's Office April 26, 2011 |
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for cruelly punishing a minor child and then knowingly telling an investigator from the Bureau of Indian Affairs that another individual caused the injuries.
Jamie Lynn Eagle Bull, age 29, was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 19, 2011, for child abuse and making false statements to a federal agency. She appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on April 26, 2011, and pled not guilty to the indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction for the child abuse charge is up to 15 years of custody, a $250,000 fine, or both; three years of supervised release; and a $100 special assessment to the Victim Assistance Fund. Restitution may also be imposed.
The maximum penalty upon conviction for the charge of making false statements to a federal agency is up to five years of custody, a $250,000 fine, or both; three years of supervised release; and a $100 special assessment to the Victim Assistance Fund. The charges are merely accusations, and Eagle Bull is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant United States Attorney Britt M. Haxton is prosecuting the case. Eagle Bull was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has been set for July 5, 2011.