SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Winnebago, Nebraska, woman for two counts of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding Federal Officers.
Trista Whitewater, age 33, was indicted in November of 2022. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on March 10, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is 20 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and up to $200 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on June 8, 2022, Whitewater, who was booked at the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Yankton Sioux Correctional Facility in Wagner, South Dakota, for several tribal charges, assaulted a Lead Correctional Officer and a Correctional Officer.
The charges are merely accusations and Whitewater is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the BIA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman is prosecuting the case.
Whitewater was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial, which has been set for May 16, 2023.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys