Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A Sioux Falls woman has been sentenced for assaulting a federal officer, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte sentenced Michaela Big Eagle, 27, on August 18, 2025, after her conviction for assaulting, resisting, and impeding a federal officer.
Big Eagle received a sentence of time served in custody through August 25, 2025—approximately six months in federal prison—followed by three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The charges stemmed from an incident on February 14, 2025, in Rosebud, South Dakota, located within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. During a traffic stop that day, Big Eagle was questioned by a Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services Officer about methamphetamine use while she was pregnant. When informed she was under arrest for child endangerment while inside the patrol vehicle, Big Eagle exited the vehicle and ran to her own car. She attempted to lock the doors but the officer entered the backseat of her vehicle. Big Eagle ignored commands and struggled with the officer over her car keys before starting her vehicle and driving away at high speed; the officer fell out as she left.
Big Eagle had been indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2025 and pleaded guilty on June 23, 2025.
The case was investigated by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Zachrison prosecuted it.
Big Eagle was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following sentencing.
