United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for aggravated sexual abuse of a child and sexual contact with a child.
Austin Wade Bissonette, age 25, was indicted on September 17, 2013. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on September 23, 2013, and pled not guilty to the indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is life in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, up to life of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
Bissonette is alleged to have sexually abused and had sexual contact with a child at Eagle Butte between August 2009 and August 2010.
The charges are merely an accusation, and Bissonette is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikal Hanson is prosecuting the case.
Bissonette was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
