United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Timber Lake, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon was sentenced on June 21, 2016, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Dustin Buffalo, age 33, was sentenced to 40 months in custody, to be served concurrent with the sentence he received in another, but separate, assault case. Following his release, Buffalo will be on supervised release for 2 years. He was ordered to pay a special assessment of $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Buffalo was indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 21, 2016. He pled guilty on March 29, 2016.
The conviction stems from an incident that occurred on November 5, 2015, at Timber Lake, when the victim attempted to intervene in a physical altercation that was taking place between Buffalo and one of the victim’s stepchildren. When the victim attempted to intervene in the altercation, Buffalo turned on the victim and began physically assaulting him, hitting him on the right side of his head with a large, heavy metal cross. The blows knocked the victim to the floor. His head was cut open and he began to bleed. Buffalo repeatedly hit and kicked the victim while he was lying on the floor. The victim received medical treatment for his injuries, but continues to have problems with dizziness, headaches, and blurred vision because of the assault.
This case was investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Dewey County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller prosecuted the case.
Buffalo was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
