Appeals Court Upholds Man's Sentence In Standing Rock Assault
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — An appeals court has upheld the sentence of a man convicted for an extended assault of a woman on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.
Denny Johnson Sr. was sentenced to 30 years in prison after a jury convicted him of aggravated sexual abuse, assault with a dangerous weapon, simple assault and domestic assault by a habitual offender.
Authorities say Johnson, of Kenel, sexually assaulted and restrained his victim over the course of several weeks in December 2013 and January 2014.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Johnson's argument that some evidence should have been excluded and he should not have received an enhanced sentence based on his victim's vulnerability and his obstruction of justice.
The Standing Rock Reservation straddles the North Dakota and South Dakota border.
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