Fort Thompson Man Charged With Domestic Assault By A Habitual Offender

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Fort Thompson, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Domestic Assault by a Habitual Offender.

Arnold Roy Walking Bull, Jr., a/k/a Junior Charging Hawk, age 38, was indicted on June 10, 2014.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on June 17, 2014, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 5 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

Walking Bull is accused of assaulting his domestic partner on February 26, 2013, and October 1, 2013.  At the time of the assaults, Charging Hawk had a final conviction on a least three separate prior occasions in State and Tribal Court proceedings for offenses that would have been, if subject to federal jurisdiction, an assault against a domestic partner.

The charge is merely an accusation and Walking Bull is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges is prosecuting the case.   

Walking Bull was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial.  A trial date has not been set.