Mission Man Charged with Assaulting a Federal Officer

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer.

Dayton Thin Elk, a/k/a Dayton Haukaas, age 24, was indicted on July 16, 2020.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on August 28, 2020, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that on April 27, 2020, in Todd County, South Dakota, Thin Elk did forcibly assault, oppose, impede, intimidate, and interfere with multiple law enforcement officers who were employed by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.

The charges are merely accusations and Thin Elk is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.   

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