RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Hot Springs, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on June 22, 2026.

Cecle Crist, 53, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Crist was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in November 2025. He pleaded guilty on March 9, 2026.

In November 2025, several officers with the Fall River County Sheriff's Office and the Hot Springs Police Department attempted to arrest Crist on a federal arrest warrant pertaining to another firearm charge. When the officers entered the camper Crist lived in, he hid in a closet, threatened to kill law enforcement, and said he had a gun. The officers exited the camper and called in the Rapid City Special Response Team (SRT). After SRT fired several rounds of OC powder into the camper, Crist exited the camper and was placed under arrest. Officers thereafter located in the camper three loaded rifles, a pellet gun, and several rounds of ammunition, which Crist knew were in his possession. Crist is a previously convicted felon who knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, the Rapid City Police Department, the Fall River County Sheriff's Office, and the Hot Springs Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

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