Bismarck Man Sentenced for Stealing Vehicle From Driveway

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Bismarck, North Dakota, man charged with Interstate Transportation of a Stolen Vehicle was sentenced on June 4, 2012, by United States District Judge Roberto A. Lange. Tyrell Running Bear, age 20, was sentenced to 12 months in custody, 2 years of supervised release, $1,284.17 in restitution, and a $100 special assessment to the Victim Assistance Fund.

Running Bear was indicted for Larceny and Interstate Transportation of a Stolen Vehicle by a federal grand jury on December 14, 2011. He pled guilty to Interstate Transportation of a Stolen Vehicle on March 13, 2012.

The conviction arose from an incident in December 2011 when Tyrell Running Bear came upon a 2010 Subaru Forester that was running to warm up in a driveway in Bismarck, North Dakota, and stole it. Running Bear then drove the stolen vehicle from Bismarck to Eagle Butte, South Dakota, across the North Dakota/South Dakota state line. While he was in South Dakota, Running Bear obtained gas for which he did not pay and was subsequently apprehended in Eagle Butte, inside the stolen 2010 Subaru Forester.

This case was investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Division. Assistant United States Attorney Mikal Hanson prosecuted the case.