Lower Brule Man Pleads Guilty to Assault

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Leonard Edwards, age 22, of Lower Brule, South Dakota, appeared before U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange on February 5, 2013, and pled guilty to count two of the indictment that charged him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both; three years of supervised release; and two additional years of supervised release upon revocation.

The charge stems from an incident on August 25, 2012, where Edwards, the victim, and others were at a house party in Lower Brule. The victim had brought some alcohol to the party and took one of his bottles of alcohol with him when he left. Edwards followed the victim outside and struck him in the face with a closed fist, knocking the victim unconscious. As a result of the assault, the victim suffered multiple fractures to the jaw that required surgery to repair.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges is prosecuting the case. Edwards was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing. A sentencing date has been set for April 29, 2013.