PINE RIDGE MAN SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR ABUSIVE SEXUAL CONTACT OF A CHILD

RAPID CITY, South Dakota — September 17, 2026 — A Pine Ridge man has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to abusive sexual contact involving a young girl in Indian Country.

Donovan He Crow, 53, was sentenced September 14 by U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler to eight years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and will be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

He Crow was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2025 and pleaded guilty on March 6, 2026. His case is therefore no longer at the allegation stage. The federal conviction has been established, and the September sentencing determines the punishment imposed for that offense.

According to information presented by federal prosecutors, He Crow entered the child’s bedroom during the nighttime and forcibly engaged in sexual contact with her. The victim was between 12 and 13 years old when the offense occurred. TRJ is limiting further description because the essential facts of the conviction can be reported without adding unnecessary graphic detail.

The prosecution was handled in federal court because the offense occurred in Indian Country and falls within the scope of the Major Crimes Act. The federal statute places certain serious offenses committed by an Indian in Indian Country within federal jurisdiction.

The Major Crimes Act has long been one of the central jurisdictional statutes governing serious criminal offenses in Indian Country. Its application means investigators and prosecutors often work across Tribal and federal systems rather than through ordinary state criminal jurisdiction alone. In South Dakota, that structure frequently involves coordination among Tribal law enforcement, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and federal courts.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case on behalf of the federal government. United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced the sentence following Judge Theeler’s ruling.

The case is one of several serious violent-crime prosecutions recently announced by the District of South Dakota involving offenses committed in Indian Country. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has continued to prosecute qualifying violent crimes arising in Indian Country under federal jurisdiction, including cases involving sexual abuse, assault, and homicide.

Sex offender registration will remain part of He Crow’s legal obligations after his eventual release from federal custody. The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act establishes federal standards requiring qualifying offenders to register and keep registration information current according to applicable jurisdictional requirements.

Following sentencing, He Crow was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. He will now begin serving the eight-year federal prison term imposed by Judge Theeler.

The case reflects the federal government’s continuing role in prosecuting serious violent crimes committed in Indian Country and the importance of coordination between Tribal investigators and federal law enforcement. In this prosecution, the investigation conducted by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety led to a guilty plea, an eight-year prison sentence, a decade of supervised release, and mandatory sex offender registration.

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