Eagle Butte Man Indicted on Methamphetamine Charges

United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance.

Elliot Robert Blue Coat, age 40, was indicted on June 14, 2017. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on June 15, 2017, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in custody and/or a $1,000,000 fine, a lifetime of supervised release, and $400 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that between April 1, 2014, and June 14, 2017, Blue Coat knowingly and intentionally conspired with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, in South Dakota.

The charges are merely accusations and Blue Coat is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services Narcotics Division and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney SaraBeth Donovan is prosecuting the case.

Blue Coat was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.