Two Eagle Butte Women Indicted on Drug Charges

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that two Eagle Butte, South Dakota, women have been indicted by a federal grand jury for Maintaining a Drug Involved Premises Near a Playground.

Lena Marie Flying By, age 52, and Juanita Red Bird, age 26, were indicted on March 9, 2020.  They appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on March 11 and 13, 2020, and each pled not guilty to their respective Indictments.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in prison and/or a $500,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered. 

The Indictments allege that Flying By, between March 28, 2015, and March 9, 2020, and Red Bird, between October 1, 2018, and October 1, 2019, unlawfully and knowingly used and maintained a residence for the purposes of distributing and using marijuana, within 1,000 feet of a playground in Eagle Butte, South Dakota.

The charges are merely accusations and Flying By and Red Bird are  presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook is prosecuting the case.   

Flying By and Red Bird were released on bond pending trial.  A trial date has not been set.