Little Eagle Woman Sentenced for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon

United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Little Eagle, South Dakota, woman convicted of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon was sentenced on January 4, 2016, by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann.

Mary Jo Madison, age 37, was sentenced to 16 months in custody, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and a special assessment of $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Madison was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 11, 2015.  She pled guilty on November 2, 2015.

The conviction stems from an incident on July 7, 2015, when Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) law enforcement was dispatched to a residence in Little Eagle, in reference to an assault.  Officers were advised that a group of females were fighting and one was bleeding from the head.  Madison and others initially approached the victim and another person and started a verbal altercation.  The altercation escalated and Madison went to a car, retrieved a metal bar, and struck the victim on the head at least one time.  A neighbor across the street also described the incident to the BIA officers, stating he too saw Madison strike the victim on the head with a metal bar.  None of the other people involved in this altercation had weapons.

The victim was transported by ambulance to Mobridge for treatment.  As a result of the assault, the victim sustained head injuries, including two lacerations that formed a “T” on her scalp, one laceration was 4 cm long and the other 3 cm long.  Following treatment, the victim did not require hospitalization and was released to her home.

Following the assault, Madison fled the area in a black vehicle heading towards Timber Lake.  A second BIA officer responded to the call and passed a vehicle matching the description dispatch had provided.  The vehicle was stopped and the officer was able to identify and detain Madison.  Madison was interviewed the following day and admitted to striking the victim on the head with a metal bar.

This case was investigated by the BIA, Standing Rock Agency.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.

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