PIERRE — A Mission man and a Mellette County woman are facing life in prison after authorities say they used firearms to assault two individuals during a home burglary.
Stephen Fallis, 29, of Mission, S.D., and Sativa Looking Cloud, 20, of Mellette County, were indicted by a federal grand jury on March 8 each on one count of first-degree burglary, assault with a dangerous weapon and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The charges allege that on Feb. 16, 2022, in Mellette County, Fallis and Looking Cloud unlawfully entered and remained in a residence, and assaulted two victims with handguns.
The alleged crime did not take place within the bounds of the Rosebud Indian Reservation, but rather in off-reservation trust land. That land is owned and operated by the United States Department of the Interior for the benefit of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.
It's estimated that approximately one-third of Mellette County is made up of off-reservation trust land.
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Both Fallis and Looking Cloud appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Moreno on March 8 and pleaded not guilty to the indictment.
A federal jury trial has been scheduled for April 26, 2022. The maximum punishment if found guilty on all charges is life in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, a $100 pledge to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and potential restitution.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an evidence-based program that serves as the centerpiece of the Department of Justice's efforts to reduce violent crimes across the country.
the centerpiece of
Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.
As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
