Pine Ridge Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Assaulting Two Federal Officers

Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for two counts of Assaulting a Federal Officer.

Brianna Brave Heart, age 37, was indicted on October 21, 2021.  She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on November 3, 2021, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is eight years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund on each charge.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The charges relate to Brave Heart assaulting two federal officers who were employed with the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety on December 25, 2020.

The investigation is being conducted by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Safety.  U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama is prosecuting the case.

Brave Heart was released from custody pending trial.  A trial date has been set for January 11, 2022.