Two From Kyle Plead Guilty To Unlawful Possession Of Intoxicants

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Thomas Dean Lays Hard, age 49, and Caroline Janis, age 25, both of Kyle, South Dakota appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on March 19, 2013 and pled guilty to Intoxicants Possessed Unlawfully in Indian Country. The maximum penalty upon conviction for Lays Hard is 5 years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty upon conviction for Janis is 1 year of imprisonment and a $100,000 fine.

The charge relates to Lays Hard and Janis unlawfully possessing vodka on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation on November 7, 2012. The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen.

Presentence investigations were ordered and sentencing dates will be set. Both Lays Hard and Janis were released on bond pending sentencing.