St. Francis Man Sentenced for Assault With a Dangerous Weapon

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a St. Francis, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon was sentenced on July 30, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Sylvan White Hat, Jr., a/k/a Bud White Hat, age 38, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

White Hat was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 13, 2018.  He pled guilty on July 25, 2018.

The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on October 16, 2017.  On that date, White Hat was intoxicated and went to the victim’s home in St. Francis, demanding to talk to the victim’s niece.  When told the niece was not present, White Hat became aggravated and repeatedly punched the victim and kicked him in the face with shod feet.  White Hat was previously employed as a police officer with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services from 2009 to 2015.   

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

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