Pukwana Man Sentenced on Abusive Sexual Contact Charge

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Pukwana man charged with Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Sexual Abuse was sentenced on August 15, 2011, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange. Sonny J. Antelope, age 28, was sentenced to 120 months in custody and six years of supervised release.
Antelope was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2011. On May 18, 2011, he pled guilty to an Information charging him with Abusive Sexual Contact by Force.

The charge stems from an incident on July 22, 2010, in Fort Thompson, South Dakota. The victim was at a party and decided to lie down sometime between 2 and 3 a.m. She had been asleep for about two hours but was awakened when she felt pressure from the Defendant being on top of her, while forcing sexual contact with her. The Defendant agreed that he used force to attempt to have sexual intercourse with the victim.

This case was investigated by Bureau of Indian Affairs, Crow Creek Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.

Antelope was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.