Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell has announced the sentencing of Evan John Bobtail Bear, a resident of Little Eagle, South Dakota. U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann sentenced Bobtail Bear to five years in federal prison on July 15, 2025, following his conviction for involuntary manslaughter.
Bobtail Bear, aged 35, will also serve three years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2025 and pleaded guilty on February 12, 2025.
The incident occurred on May 14, 2024, during an argument between Bobtail Bear and his brother at a gathering outside a home in Little Eagle within the Standing Rock Reservation. Bobtail Bear struck his brother in the head, causing him to fall and hit his head on a concrete driveway. Despite efforts to revive him, Bobtail Bear's brother succumbed to his injuries on June 8, 2024, at a hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case under the Major Crimes Act which requires certain violent crimes occurring in Indian country to be prosecuted federally rather than by state courts.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services with Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem leading the prosecution.
Following sentencing, Bobtail Bear was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
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