Mission Man Sentenced to Over 6 Years in Federal Prison for Assault

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 two counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. The sentencing took place on September 28, 2026.

Daniel Hart, age 20, was sentenced to six years and seven months in federal prison on each count, with the sentence to be served concurrently, followed by three years of supervised release. Hart was further ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Hart was indicted in January 2026. He pleaded guilty on June 29, 2026.

The convictions stemmed from two separate incidents that occurred within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. On May 24, 2025, Hart and others assaulted a man with a machete and shod feet outside a gas station in Mission, South Dakota. The man sustained multiple injuries including lacerations to his left arm and scalp.

In a separate incident on December 6, 2025, a man was driving a vehicle in Mission when his vehicle was blocked in by another vehicle occupied by Hart. Hart exited his vehicle and approached the man's vehicle on the driver's side. Hart pointed a firearm through the driver's side window and pulled the trigger, striking the man in the leg.

These matters were 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.

These cases were investigated by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby VanDenBerg prosecuted the case.

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