United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced Arnold Dean Buck Elk Thunder, Jr., from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, to 18 months in federal prison for failing to register as a sex offender. The sentencing occurred on February 3, 2025.
Buck Elk Thunder, aged 57, will also serve five years of supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024 and pleaded guilty on November 7, 2024.
The requirement for Buck Elk Thunder to register as a sex offender stems from a state felony conviction in May 2001 for sexual contact with a child under the age of 16. Although he updated his registered address in February 2024 to Eagle Butte on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, he moved in May to Rapid City without updating his registration within the required three business days.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative by the Department of Justice launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project brings together federal, state, and local resources to apprehend offenders and rescue victims. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen. Buck Elk Thunder was immediately taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.