Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Rapid City Man Charged With Illegal Possession of Drugs and Firearms
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, and Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime.
Harold Salway Jr., age 22, was indicted on June 23, 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica Duffy on June 29, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is a mandatory minimum of five years and up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charges stem from Salway, unlawfully using and conspiring to distribute a controlled substance, possessing two 9mm semi-automatic pistols and a .22-250 bolt-action rifle between January 2021 and June 2022 in Rapid City. The charges are merely an accusation and Salway is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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 is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson is prosecuting the case.
Salway was detained pending trial. A trial date has not been set.