Rapid City Man Indicted for Assault and Commission of a Crime of Violence While Failing to Register as Sex Offender

 United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Assault With a Dangerous Weapon, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, and Commission of a Crime of Violence While Failing to Register as a Sex Offender.

Patrick Luke Black Spotted Horse, age 31, was indicted on August 11, 2020.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on September 23, 2020, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 30 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 5 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that on June 14, 2020, in Mellette County, South Dakota, Black Spotted Horse assaulted an individual with a sharp-edged instrument with the intent to do bodily harm and that the assault resulted in serious bodily injury.  Black Spotted Horse is alleged to have committed the assault while having failed to Register as a Sex Offender.  Black Spotted Horse was convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in March 2010.  As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender.  The Indictment further alleges that between May 1, 2020, and June 14, 2020, and again between June 19, 2020, and August 11, 2020, Black Spotted Horse, a person required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and a sex offender by reason of conviction under Federal Law, failed to properly register as a sex offender and update his registration. 

The charges are merely accusations and Black Spotted Horse is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the U.S. Marshals Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.   

Black Spotted Horse was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial.  A trial date has not been set.