McLaughlin Man Sentenced On Assault Charges

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a McLaughlin, South Dakota man convicted of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon and Domestic Assault by a Habitual Offender Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury was sentenced on June 24, 2013 by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Benedict Iron Thunder, Jr. age 36, was sentenced to 38 months imprisonment, 2 years of supervised release, and a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Iron Thunder was indicted by a federal grand jury in January of 2013, and pled guilty on March 15, 2013.

The conviction stems from an incident on June 18, 2010. On that date, an officer with the Standing Rock Police Department was dispatched to McLaughlin in response to a call of a female being assaulted. Upon arrival, the officer made contact with the victim who stated that she was struck numerous times in the head and kicked repeatedly in the back. As a result of the attack, the victim received a large lump on the top of her head, a swollen and bloody nose, multiple injuries to the mouth, and various bruises on her body. Also visible in the pictures were the bloody footprints of her attacker on her back.

The Defendant has been found guilty on two or more separate prior occasions for offenses that would have been, if subject to federal jurisdiction, an assault against a spouse and intimate partner. Both of the previous assaults involved this same victim.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Standing Rock Agency. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Morley.

Iron Thunder was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service to begin serving his sentence.