Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

PIERRE, S.D. — U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Jeremy Duane Young, 28, of Parmelee has been convicted following two separate jury trials. Young was convicted of possession of unregistered firearm and possession of firearm by a prohibited person following a two-day jury trial in federal district court in Pierre. The verdict was returned on Oct. 31. Young was then convicted of assaulting, resisting and impeding a federal officer following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Pierre. That verdict was returned on Nov. 3. 

The firearm charges each carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release and a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The assaulting a federal officer charge carries a maximum penalty of eight years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Young was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2023 on the firearm offenses and in April 2023 on the assault offense.

In May 2022, in the Soldier Creek community within the Rosebud Reservation, Young, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, was found in possession of a short-barrel 12-gauge shotgun, which was found after Young came into contact with law enforcement following a traffic stop. The short shotgun was not registered to Young in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by law. As part of the investigation, Young admitted to law enforcement that he and another individual were on their way to Sioux Falls on a drug run to pick up methamphetamine.

In March 2023, in the Soldier Creek community within the Rosebud Reservation, Young assaulted a Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Officer. The officer had been called to the community over a concern of a running vehicle blocking the roadway, and determined Young was passed out in the driver’s seat. When the officer contacted Young to get out of the vehicle, Young refused to exit, became argumentative and combative and engaged in a physical struggle with the officer. Young then punched the officer in the face and fled on foot. Young was located and arrested an hour later.

The investigation into Young is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

These cases were investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan N. Dilges and Brian Murphy prosecuted the case.

A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date was set for Jan. 29, 2024. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

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