United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota man convicted of sexual contact of a person incapable of consenting was sentenced on June 16, 2014, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Sheldon Miner, a/k/a Salty Miner, age 62, was sentenced to 36 months in custody, five years of supervised release, a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and he must register as a sex offender.

Miner was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 12, 2013, for sexual abuse of a person incapable of consenting and sexual contact with a person incapable of consenting. He pled guilty to the sexual contact charge on March 24, 2014.

The conviction arose from an October 2012 incident in Dewey County, when Miner engaged in sexual contact with the victim, who was asleep on a couch following a house party. The contact occurred when the victim was incapable of appraising the nature of the sexual conduct and was physically incapable of declining participation in the sexual contact.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikal Hanson.

Miner was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to begin serving his sentence.