McLaughlin Man Sentenced for Vehicular Battery

ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Charles B. Kornmann, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man convicted of Vehicular Battery. The sentencing took place on July 8, 2024.

Jerry Bruce Petersen, age 69, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison, and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Petersen was indicted by a federal grand jury in April of 2023. He pleaded guilty on November 13, 2023.

Shortly before 9:00 p.m. on January 28, 2023, Petersen was driving his F-150 truck on South Dakota Hwy 63 near McLaughlin, when he struck three pedestrians. One of the pedestrians incurred life-threatening injuries requiring an airlift to Bismarck, North Dakota. Petersen's alcohol concentration was 0.13. The location of the offense lay within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office because the General Crimes Act, a federal statute, authorizes federal prosecution of certain crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs - Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

Petersen was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.