Rosebud Man Convicted for Abusive Sexual Contact

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Eugene Hollow Horn Bear, age 64, of Rosebud, South Dakota, of two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact following a two-day jury trial in federal district court in Pierre, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on August 21, 2024.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of three years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Hollow Horn Bear was indicted by a federal grand jury in March of 2024.

According to the evidence presented at trial, the victim awoke to Hollow Horn Bear touching her vagina and breasts after she had gone to sleep in an abandoned carwash in Mission, South Dakota, within 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.

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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.

The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. A sentencing date has not been set.