Parmelee Man Sentenced to Nearly 4 Years in Federal Prison for Assaulting a Woman and Being a Habitual Offender

PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a man from Parmelee, South Dakota, convicted of two counts of Domestic Assault by an Habitual Offender. The sentencing took place on February 23, 2026.

Hehaka Thunder Hawk, age 42, was sentenced to three years and eight months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Thunder Hawk was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2025. He pleaded guilty on November 24, 2025.

The convictions stem from two separate assaults by Thunder Hawk against an intimate partner, both of which occurred in the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. On November 12, 2021, Thunder Hawk unlawfully entered a residence in Parmelee, South Dakota, and assaulted a woman by pulling her hair and punching her face. Thunder Hawk then fled the residence. On February 10, 2025, Thunder Hawk entered the same woman's residence through a broken window, got on top of her while she was sleeping, and assaulted her, causing nasal and orbital bone fractures. At the time of both incidents, Thunder Hawk had three prior convictions in Rosebud Sioux Tribal Court for Domestic Abuse.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Zachrison prosecuted the case.

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