2 South Dakota Men Get 15 Years in Prison for Assault in Pine Ridge

PINE RIDGE, S.D. (AP) — Two South Dakota men convicted of assaulting another man on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation have been sentenced in federal court.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Viken has sentenced 28-year-old Wesley Running Shield and 33-year-old Michael Alford to 15 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

A jury in February found each Pine Ridge man guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

Federal authorities say Running Shield and Alford assaulted the man a year ago on Pine Ridge. Authorities say the men used the metal bar to break the victim's leg and hand and also caused a large laceration on his head.

Alford's attorney didn't immediately return a call seeking comment on the sentence. Running Shield's attorney declined to comment.

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