PINE RIDGE, S.D. - A 25-year-old Pine Ridge man has been sentenced to a decade in federal prison for seriously injuring an infant. Sinte White Butterfly pleaded guilty to Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.

In Aug. 2024, White Butterfly assaulted his one-month-old daughter, fracturing numerous bones throughout her body and causing brain damage. During sentencing, Judge Camela Theeler said the victim should have been able to count on White Butterfly as someone to protect her from harm, but instead he broke both of her legs, both of her arms, fractured nearly all of her ribs, and caused a skull fracture and a brain bleed, because he was intoxicated and lost his temper.

Judge Theeler also highlighted White Butterfly’s history of violence as a factor in the sentence, underscoring the need to protect the community from further harm.