Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A federal jury in Pierre, South Dakota, has acquitted Joel Miller, 51, of Todd County on charges of Assault by Striking, Beating, and Wounding. The verdict was delivered on August 27, 2025.
Miller had been indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2025 following allegations that he assaulted another man in May 2025 within Todd County and the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, federal law requires certain violent crimes occurring in Indian Country to be prosecuted at the federal level rather than through state courts.
The case was investigated by the Todd County Sheriff’s Office, Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, and the FBI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office handled prosecution efforts.
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell stated: “This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because federal law mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.”
