Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A Bullhead, South Dakota woman has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for assault with a dangerous weapon. U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann handed down the sentence on June 23, 2025.
Kaitlyn Shantell Left Hand, aged 27, will serve her sentence followed by three years of supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Left Hand was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024 and pleaded guilty on February 26, 2025. The incident occurred on July 2, 2024, when Left Hand attempted to intervene in a fight between two women in Bullhead, South Dakota, within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. In the chaos, she drew a knife and injured both women. The victims required stitches but sustained no further injuries.
The case was prosecuted under the Major Crimes Act which requires certain violent crimes in Indian country to be tried in federal court rather than state court. The Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem led the prosecution.
Following her sentencing, Left Hand was placed into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
