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 announced that a Pine Ridge man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for assaulting a family member. The sentencing was carried out by U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler on July 21, 2025.
Cole Waters, aged 37, received a sentence of two years imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Waters was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2024 for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury and pleaded guilty on May 9, 2025.
The incident occurred on November 16, 2024, in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Waters used a pistol to assault his nephew multiple times, resulting in serious bodily injury including facial fractures and numbness.
This case fell under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Attorney’s Office due to the Major Crimes Act which requires certain violent crimes occurring in Indian Country to be prosecuted federally.
The investigation was conducted by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division with Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder handling prosecution duties.
Waters has been remanded into custody with the U.S. Marshals Service.
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