Mission Man Sentenced for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury

PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on July 13, 2026.

Fred Leading Cloud, age 68, was sentenced to 2 years and 4 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Leading Cloud was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 20, 2026.

On May 22, 2025, Leading Cloud got into an altercation with the victim in Mission, South Dakota, within the exterior boundaries of the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. During the altercation, Leading Cloud pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim in the neck.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal Court as opposed to State Court.

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

Leading Cloud was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.