PINE RIDGE, S.D. – A Pine Ridge man was sentenced to nearly three years in prison for a violent assault on his wife, which District Judge Karen Schreier described as “one of the more serious assaults she had seen between a husband and wife.”

Kristopher Kerbaugh, Sr., 36, was sentenced for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon after he stabbed his wife of ten years three times with a pocketknife and beat her while accusing her of infidelity. Kerbaugh, who was intoxicated at the time, also attempted to cover her wounds with duct tape before a third party called the police. The victim was airlifted to the hospital for treatment.

Kerbaugh was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024 on charges of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to an Intimate Partner. He pleaded guilty on July 15, 2024.