McLaughlin Man Sentenced to 4 ½ Years in Federal Prison for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon

ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. The sentencing took place on May 19, 2025.

Norman Ray Red Legs, age 38, was sentenced to four years and five months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. 

Red Legs was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024. He pleaded guilty on September 30, 2024.

During the early morning hours of March 11, 2024, a 46-year-old woman awoke to Red Legs punching her in the face. When she cried for him to cease, Red Legs struck the woman several times in the knees with a pot. Red Legs desisted only when his girlfriend told him to stop. The woman sustained extensive bruising to her face, right arm, and legs and was wheelchair-bound for several weeks. The assault occurred at a mutual acquaintance’s home in McLaughlin, South Dakota, within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. 

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

Red Legs was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.