Oglala Woman Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that an Oglala, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly operating and crashing a motor vehicle while under the influence on May 19, 2013, near Loneman, South Dakota.  The crash resulted in the death of Gillard Good Voice Flute.

Valerie Good Voice Flute, age 36, was indicted on August 27, 2013, for Involuntary Manslaughter.  Good Voice Flute appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on August 29, 2013, and pled not guilty to the Indictment. 

The maximum penalty upon conviction is 8 years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.  The charge is merely an accusation and Good Voice Flute is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. 

Good Voice Flute was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.  A trial date has been set for November 5, 2013.