Kyle Man Pleads Guilty to Driving While Intoxicated and Killing Passenger

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of South Dakota
September 10, 2010

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Denny Spotted Eagle, age 22, of Kyle, appeared before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken on September 10, 2010, and pled guilty to an indictment that charged him with involuntary manslaughter. The maximum penalty upon conviction is eight years of incarceration, a $250,000 fine, or both. Spotted Eagle admitted that, while intoxicated, he drove his vehicle in an unsafe manner on November 7, 2009, causing it to roll over. As a result of the crash, a passenger in the vehicle was killed. Spotted Eagle's blood alcohol content (BAC) at the time he drove the vehicle was approximately .167 (approximately twice the legal limit). The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg S. Peterman. A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date was set for December 3, 2010.