McLaughlin Man Indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender

Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.

Mikal John White Mountain, age 38, was indicted on December 14, 2021.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on December 21, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.

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

The Indictment alleges that White Mountain, a person required to register as a sex offender, knowingly failed to register and update his registration after traveling in interstate commerce and residing in Indian country between September 4, 2021, and December 14, 2021, while living in McLaughlin.

The charge is merely an accusation and White Mountain is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by U.S. Marshals Service, the Corson County Sheriff’s Office, the North Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook is prosecuting the case.   

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