Rosebud Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Assaulting a Woman and For Failing to Register as a Sex Offender

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact and one count of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on November 18, 2024.

Eugene Hollow Horn Bear, age 65, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Hollow Horn Bear was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024. Following a two-day jury trial in August 2024, he was found guilty of two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact. He pleaded guilty to one count of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender on September 12, 2024.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on the evening of July 20, 2023, the victim awoke to Hollow Horn Bear touching her genital area and breasts after she had gone to sleep in an abandoned carwash in Mission, South Dakota, in the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. The victim called out for help and another individual pulled Hollow Horn Bear off the victim and forced him to leave the carwash. Hollow Horn Bear had failed to update his sex offender registration when he committed this offense.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.

Hollow Horn Bear was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.