Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell has announced the sentencing of Arnold Dean Buck Elk Thunder, Jr., a resident of Eagle Butte, South Dakota. U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte sentenced Buck Elk Thunder to 18 months in federal prison for failing to register as a sex offender.
The sentencing took place on February 3, 2025. Following his prison term, Buck Elk Thunder will be subject to five years of supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Buck Elk Thunder was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024 and pleaded guilty on November 7, 2024. His requirement to register as a sex offender stems from a state felony conviction in May 2001 for sexual contact with a child under the age of 16.
In February 2024, he updated his registered address to Eagle Butte on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation but moved without updating his registration within three business days as required by law. He relocated first to Rapid City and then returned to Cherry Creek on the reservation.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project involves collaboration between federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service with Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuting the case. Following his sentencing, Buck Elk Thunder was remanded into custody.
