A man from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for child abuse and assault with a dangerous weapon. The sentencing of Richard Hale, Jr., 36, took place on September 22, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota, Hale will serve three years of supervised release following his prison term for each count. The sentences will run concurrently. He was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Hale was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025 and pleaded guilty on June 26, 2025.
The conviction is related to an incident in October 2024 in Eagle Butte, located within the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. On October 5, 2024, Hale assaulted his intimate partner by repeatedly striking her head with a cell phone while she was holding their infant child. During the incident, he grabbed the child by the arm. The woman suffered a laceration to her head and the child sustained multiple injuries, including skull and arm fractures.
“This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court,” according to information provided by prosecutors.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services Detective Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen handled prosecution duties.
Hale was immediately remanded into custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following sentencing.
