Parmelee Man Sentenced for Assault by Strangulation and Failure to Register as a Sex Offender

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Parmelee, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault by Strangulation and Suffocation and of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender was sentenced on July 29, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Michael Yellow Eyes, age 37, was sentenced to 24 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for Assault by Strangulation and Suffocation.  He was sentenced to 15 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.  The sentences will be served concurrently.  Yellow Eyes was also ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $200.

Yellow Eyes was indicted by a federal grand jury for Assault by Strangulation and Suffocation on October 16, 2018.  He was indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender on December 11, 2018.  He pled guilty to both offenses on May 3, 2019.

The conviction for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender stemmed from conduct that occurred in August 2018.  Yellow Eyes was convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact in April 2017.  As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender and to update his registration within three business days of relocating or changing employment.  On August 1, 2018, Yellow Eyes moves from his registered address in Rosebud, South Dakota, but did not update his sex offender registration until August 29, 2018.

The conviction for Assault by Strangulation and Suffocation stemmed from an incident that occurred in Parmelee on September 20, 2018, wherein Yellow Eyes assaulted his spouse and intimate partner by strangling and suffocating her until she could not breathe.

These cases were investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the U.S. Marshals Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the cases.   

Yellow Eyes was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.