United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Clyde Chasing Hawk, also known as Clyde Clairmont, from St. Francis, South Dakota, has been sentenced for possession of child pornography. The sentencing by U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte occurred on January 13, 2025.
Chasing Hawk, aged 24, received a sentence of five years and three months in federal prison. Following his prison term, he will undergo five years of supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Additionally, he was ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution.
The case began with an indictment by a federal grand jury in December 2023. Chasing Hawk entered a guilty plea on October 15, 2024.
From April to November 2023, Chasing Hawk engaged in searching for and downloading child pornography online. He stored multiple images and videos on his Google and Yahoo accounts as well as electronic devices. The investigation started in June 2023 after CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicated his use of these accounts for storing illegal content. In November 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence in St. Francis and seized several electronic devices containing child pornography. These devices will be forfeited to the United States.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. It involves collaboration between federal, state, and local resources to apprehend offenders and rescue victims.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) – Office of Justice Services Missing and Murdered Unit; BIA Division of Drug Enforcement; Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; Pennington County Sheriff’s Office; Rapid City Police Department; U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations; and South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Senior Litigation Counsel Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Chasing Hawk was immediately taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.