Eagle Butte Man Sentenced for Abusive Sexual Contact and Failure to Appear

United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact and Failure to Appear was sentenced on August 9, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Luther Blue Thunder, age 36, was sentenced to a total of 128 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Restitution may also apply.

Blue Thunder was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 16, 2016. He was scheduled to plead guilty to Abusive Sexual Contact at a change of plea hearing on May 16, 2017, but he failed to appear for the hearing and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Blue Thunder was apprehended in Eagle Butte on May 18, 2017, and charged with Failure to Appear. He pled guilty to both offenses on May 22, 2017. Blue Thunder was sentenced to 120 months in prison for the Abusive Sexual Contact conviction and 8 months in prison for the Failure to Appear conviction, with the sentences ordered to be served consecutively.

The Abusive Sexual Contact conviction stemmed from conduct that occurred between May 2011 and September 2012, wherein Blue Thunder sexually assaulted a child who was between six and seven years old. The conduct occurred in Mission, South Dakota.

The case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

Blue Thunder was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.