Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Pierre Man Indicted for Firearm Charge
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Pierre, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm.
Cody Dewell, age 33, was indicted in July of 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on September 20, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on May 25, 2022, Dewell, being a convicted felon and an unlawful user of a controlled substance, knowingly possessed a firearm.
The charge is merely an accusation and Dewell is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case 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.
The investigation is being conducted by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges is prosecuting the case.
Dewell was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.