Source: United States Department of Justice News
SIOUX FALLS – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury was sentenced on September 22, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Melvin Semon, age 55, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Semon was indicted by a federal grand jury in April of 2022. He pleaded guilty on June 16, 2022.
On the evening of January 3, 2022, Semon became angry with the victim in their Eagle Butte home. He hit her and threw her against the kitchen chairs or table, breaking her right arm. Rather than assisting her, he departed. Responding officers found the victim sitting on the kitchen floor, crying and clutching her right arm. She required extensive reconstructive surgery to reset the bone and will likely never regain full function of her arm.
This case was investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
Semon was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.