St. Francis Man Sentenced for Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a St. Francis, South Dakota, man convicted of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer was sentenced on December 13, 2021, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Willard Henry, Jr., age 41, was sentenced to two months in federal prison, followed by six months of home confinement, two years of supervised release,
and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Henry was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 9, 2021. He pled guilty on September 23, 2021.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on February 3, 2021, in Todd County, South Dakota. On that date, Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services officers responded to multiple calls of a pickup truck being driven recklessly near St. Francis. Officers located the vehicle in a field and made contact with Henry, the driver and sole occupant. Henry refused to exit the vehicle and placed his hand on a rifle that was in the vehicle. Officers subsequently removed the rifle, a Winchester 30-30 caliber long rifle, from the vehicle and placed Henry under arrest. Multiple rounds of ammunition were also located in the vehicle. Henry will forfeit ownership of the rifle and ammunition to the United States.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Henry was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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