United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that Virgil Left Hand, Sr., age 51, was found guilty of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury following a federal trial in Rapid City, South Dakota.
The charges each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Evidence at trial established Left Hand assaulted another man with a golf club at Wounded Knee on Sept. 23, 2017. This assault resulted in the victim suffering a depressed skull fracture that required emergency surgery to repair.
This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted and tried the case.
A sentencing date was set for Sept. 18, 2018. Left Hand was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
