United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that Lower Brule and Fort Thompson, South Dakota, individuals have been indicted by a federal grand jury for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
Ashley Ellen Ross, Fort Thompson, age 30, Samantha Jane Dolezal, Fort Thompson, age 25, and Sara Renee Pray, Lower Brule, age 26, were indicted on June 14, 2017. Ross and Dolezal appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on June 19, 2017. Pray appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on Oct. 18, 2017. All three pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in custody and/or a $1,000,000 fine, a lifetime of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each Count. Restitution may also be ordered. Pray also stands to forfeit over $1,292 in United States currency and gift cards, which were seized by law enforcement.
The Indictment alleges that between Jan. 1, 2015, and June 14, 2017, Ross, Dolezal, and Pray knowingly and intentionally conspired with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, in South Dakota. The Indictment further alleges that on Nov. 14, 2016, Pray possessed methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it.
The charges are merely accusations and Ross, Dolezal, and Pray are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs Crow Creek Agency, and Sioux Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney SaraBeth Donovan is prosecuting the case.
Ross, Dolezal, and Pray were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
