Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on August 24, 2021, by Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Dale Martin, Jr., age 30, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Martin was indicted for the charge by a federal grand jury on July 23, 2020. He pleaded guilty on February 10, 2021.
The conviction stems from Martin, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, being in possession of a Savage, model 111, .270 caliber bold-action rifle. This firearm was found in Martin’s possession after the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety was called to the I-Bank in Pine Ridge on June 18, 2020. Martin ran from the I-Bank location to a nearby trailer after law enforcement instructed him to drop the firearm. After being verbally instructed to come out of the house, Martin exited the residence with the rifle slung around his back. Martin threw the firearm off the porch and re-entered the residence. Law enforcement entered the residence and took Martin into custody.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. 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.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.
Martin was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.