Pine Ridge Man Sentenced For Assault

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon was sentenced on February 7, 2014, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.

Michael Tobacco, age 22, was sentenced to 30 months in custody, 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $40 in restitution and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Tobacco was indicted on August 27, 2013, by a federal grand jury for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to an Intimate Partner or Dating Partner.  He pled guilty to Assault with a Dangerous Weapon on October 31, 2013.

The conviction stems from an incident in June of 2013 at a home in Pine Ridge, wherein Tobacco dragged his juvenile girlfriend by the hair from one room to another, and then repeatedly slapped, punched, and kicked her.  This assault resulted in the female receiving a severely bruised eye that was swollen shut and numerous bruises all over her upper body.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman prosecuted the case.

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