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Press Release

Rapid City Man Convicted On Assault Charges

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

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Rapid City man, Richard Harris Bear Runner, was convicted on May 8, 2013 by a jury in federal court on charges of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.

Bear Runner, age 24, was indicted in November 2012 after an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years= imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine.

Johnson said the charges relate to an incident occurring in September 2012 when Bear Runner assaulted a woman with a wooden stick that had a sharp hook on it, causing multiple cuts on her legs and back.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah B. Collins and Wayne A. Venhuizen. A sentencing date has not been set.

Updated June 22, 2015