Jury Finds St. Francis Man Guilty of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Related Charges

United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that Michael Lee Long, Jr., age 33, of St. Francis, South Dakota, was found guilty of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, Simple Assault, Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm, and Using a Firearm During and Relation to a Crime of Violence following a three-day jury trial in Pierre, South Dakota.  The verdict was returned on May 12, 2016.

The charges carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  

Long was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 14, 2015. 

The conviction stems from an incident that occurred on May 17, 2015, when Long accosted three people in parked car at a convenience store in Rosebud. As Long stood next to the open front passenger door pointing a handgun at the victim in the passenger seat, the driver of the vehicle put the car in reverse in an effort to get away.  Long was knocked down by the open door and fired at the vehicle before it departed the parking lot.  The driver of the vehicle was the daughter of the front-seat passenger. The daughter’s boyfriend was also in the vehicle, seated in the back seat.  They were not injured.  A shell casing was subsequently located in the parking lot of the store and a bullet fragment was removed from the front of the vehicle.  The handgun, a Glock .40 caliber pistol, was also recovered and matched to the shell casing and bullet fragment.

Long was previously convicted of Domestic Abuse in Rosebud Sioux Tribal Court in 2011, making it illegal for him to possess a firearm.  As a result of the verdict, Long will forfeit ownership of the firearm to the United States.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kirk Albertson and Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.

A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date was set for August 1, 2016. 

Long was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.