Soldier Creek Man Sentenced for Involuntary Manslaughter

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of South Dakota
12 August 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Soldier Creek, South Dakota, man convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter was sentenced on August 12, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Robert Staples, Jr., age 35, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Staples was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 13, 2019. He pled guilty on May 28, 2019.

The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on September 14, 2018, when Staples was backing a vehicle out of his driveway in the Soldier Creek community, where children frequently played in the street. Staples struck two children with his vehicle, and one of the children was killed in a grossly negligent manner. Staples further had THC, a compound found in marijuana, in his bloodstream at the time of the wreck.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Elmore prosecuted the case.

Staples was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.