Rapid City Man Sentenced to Over 2 Years in Federal Prison for Failing to Register as a Sex Offender

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on August 24, 2026.

Garrett Yellow Hair, 44, was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Yellow Hair was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2026. He pleaded guilty on April 20, 2026.

Yellow Hair was convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child in August 2007, in federal court in South Dakota. The victim was a 4-year-old girl. Yellow Hair was sentenced to just over 10 years in federal prison. Based upon the conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life under the provisions of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). In November 2023, Yellow Hair was convicted of the federal charge of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. On September 8, 2025, he was released from the Pennington County Jail after completing his sentence on a supervised release violation. Yellow Hair updated his address, but then did not actually reside at that address between September and October 2025. Yellow Hair knew he was in violation of the provisions of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

Yellow Hair was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.