McLaughlin Man Indicted for Abusive Sexual Contact with a Child

United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Abusive Sexual Contact with a Child.

Theophile Donald Soft, Jr., age 60, was indicted on December 14, 2021.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on February 23, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, a lifetime of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that between April 2013 and April 2015, in Corson County, South Dakota, Soft knowingly engaged in, and caused to engage in, a sexual contact with a minor female.

The charge is merely an accusation and Soft is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook is prosecuting the case.   

Soft was released on bond pending trial.  A trial date has not been set.