Mission Man and Mellette County Woman Indicted for Burglary, Assault, and Firearm Charges

United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man and a Mellette County, South Dakota, woman have been indicted by a federal grand jury for First Degree Burglary, Assault With a Dangerous Weapon, and Using and Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.

Stephen Fallis, age 29, and Sativa Looking Cloud, age 20, were indicted on March 8, 2022.  They both appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on March 10, 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, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that on February 16, 2022, in Mellette County, Fallis and Looking Cloud unlawfully entered and remained in a residence, and assaulted two victims with handguns.

The charges are merely accusations and Fallis and Looking Cloud are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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. 

The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.   

Fallis and Looking Cloud were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial.  A trial date has been set for April 26, 2022.