Lower Brule Man Sentenced for Sexual Abuse

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Abuse was sentenced on March 7, 2018, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

James St. Cloud, age 37, was sentenced to 156 months in custody, followed by 8 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.  St Cloud was further sentenced to an additional 24 months in custody, consecutive to the 156-month sentence, for violating the terms of his supervised release. This results in a 15-year sentence for St. Cloud.

St. Cloud was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 14, 2016.  He pled guilty on December 6, 2017.

The conviction stems from an incident on September 16, 2016, when the 16-year-old victim and her friend were walking along a road in Lower Brule. They were approached by a Jeep being driven by St. Cloud, who is related to the victim.  St. Cloud, along with his girlfriend, offered the girls a ride and they accepted.

Once inside the Jeep, the girls were offered alcohol to drink.  They began to drink and drive around Lower Brule.  While in Lower Brule, they stopped at a house and picked up St. Cloud’s 19-month-old son.  They drove to another house so that St. Cloud’s girlfriend could use the bathroom, and while she was inside, St. Cloud left with the victim, her friend, and his 19-month-old son in the Jeep.

St. Cloud drove down near the river.  The victim’s friend was passed out in the back seat.  The victim passed out in the driver’s seat and when she awoke, St. Cloud was having sex with her.  She tried to kick and honk the horn, but she was too drunk to move.  St. Cloud admitted to having sexual intercourse with the victim while she was incapable of consenting to the sexual intercourse.

St. Cloud was convicted in 1999 of Aggravated Sexual abuse in violation of 18 USC 2241(a). At the time he committed the instant offense, St. Cloud was on supervised release. 

This case was investigated by the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.

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