Lower Brule Man Indicted for Involuntary Manslaughter

Acting United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Involuntary Manslaughter.

Eugene Skunk, age 42, was indicted on September 9, 2020. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on April 22, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to eight years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that on July 26, 2020, in Lower Brule, Skunk killed another human being by operating a motor vehicle in a grossly negligent manner.

The charge is merely an accusation and Skunk is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Indian Affairs, Lower Brule. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Morley is prosecuting the case.

Skunk was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.