United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for knowingly telling an investigator from the Bureau of Indian Affairs that another individual caused injuries to a minor child, who had been cruelly punished on November 1, 2010, in Pine Ridge.
Elizabeth Red Owl, age 27, was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 19, 2011, for Making False Statements to a Federal Agency. She appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on April 26, 2011, and pled not guilty to the indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is five years in custody, a $250,000 fine, or both; three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Victim Assistance Fund. The charge is merely an accusation, and Red Owl is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant United States Attorney Britt M. Haxton is prosecuting the case. Red Owl was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has been set for July 5, 2011.
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