Sioux Empire Today

A Wakpala, South Dakota man has been sentenced for assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to an intimate partner. The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell and took place on June 10, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann.

Phillip Lewis Young Hawk, age 45, received a sentence of 60 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a special assessment of $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Young Hawk was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2023 and pleaded guilty on December 18, 2023. The incident occurred on April 7, 2023, when Young Hawk quarreled with his girlfriend on a rural roadside near Wakpala within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. During the altercation, Young Hawk knocked his girlfriend down and kicked her twice while she lay helpless on the ground. The assault ended when Young Hawk’s brother restrained him forcibly. As a result of the attack, Young Hawk’s girlfriend briefly lost consciousness and suffered significant bruising to her face.

The case was prosecuted under the Major Crimes Act, which mandates that certain violent crimes occurring in Indian country be prosecuted in federal court rather than state court. The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem handled the prosecution.

Young Hawk was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following his sentencing.