Lower Brule Man Pleads Guilty to Abusive Sexual Contact

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Douglas LaRoche, age 44, of Lower Brule, appeared before U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange on January 9, 2013, and pled guilty to the superseding information that charged him with abusive sexual contact. The maximum penalty upon conviction is three years of imprisonment, $250,000 fine, or both.

The charge stems from an incident when LaRoche knowingly engaged in and attempted to engage in sexual contact with someone, who at the time was incapable of appraising the nature of the conduct and was physically incapable of declining participation in and communicating unwillingness to engage in the sexual contact.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges is prosecuting the case. LaRoche was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Serivce pending sentencing. A sentencing date has been set for April 1, 2013.