A woman from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, has been sentenced to two years of federal probation for her role in an assault that took place within the Pine Ridge Reservation. The sentencing was issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta L. Wollmann on February 27, 2026.
Joann Sutton, age 24, received the probation sentence and was also ordered to pay a $25 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Sutton had been indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024 on charges of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury – Aiding and Abetting and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon – Aiding and Abetting. She pleaded guilty on December 1, 2025.
According to court documents, Joann Sutton participated in the assault alongside her sister, Jessie Sutton. They attacked another woman using a weapon and by kicking her, causing injuries that required immediate medical care. Jessie Sutton faces a separate federal felony assault charge and is set to be sentenced at a later date.
“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 the press release.
The investigation was conducted by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth handled the prosecution.
