A woman from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, has been sentenced to two years of federal probation for her involvement in an assault on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta L. Wollmann on February 27, 2026.
Joann Sutton, age 24, received a sentence that includes two years of probation and a $25 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Sutton was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024 on charges of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury – Aiding and Abetting and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon – Aiding and Abetting. She pleaded guilty to one count on December 1, 2025.
According to prosecutors, Joann Sutton participated in the attack alongside her sister, Jessie Sutton. The two assaulted another woman using a weapon and by kicking her. The victim required immediate medical attention due to her injuries. Jessie Sutton faces a separate federal felony assault charge and is scheduled for sentencing at a later date.
United States Attorney Ron Parsons explained the federal jurisdiction over this case: “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.”
The investigation was conducted by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth led the prosecution.
