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Press Release

Eagle Butte Man Sentenced for Child Abuse

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Dakota

United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man convicted of Child Abuse was sentenced on February 8, 2016, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Eric Brown, age 42, was sentenced to 24 months in custody, 2 years of supervised release, and $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Brown was indicted for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child and Child Abuse by a federal grand jury on July 14, 2015. He pled guilty to Child Abuse on November 16, 2015.

On January 17, 2015, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement was contacted by an employee at the Ampride gas station in Eagle Butte, regarding an intoxicated person driving a gold Buick Regal with a small child in the car.  An officer observed the vehicle swerve towards the center line and then correct its course, so he initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle.  The driver was Brown, and the passenger was a 5-year old child.

The child was not wearing a seatbelt and was not otherwise secured in the vehicle.  The officer conducted an investigation and arrested Brown for driving under the influence (DUI).

There were previous times when Brown drove while intoxicated with that same child in the car.  On July 25, 2014, Brown was arrested for DUI, and the same 5-year-old child was in the vehicle with Brown at that time.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller prosecuted the case.

Brown was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Updated February 10, 2016