A registered sex offender who admitted to having sexual contact with a 5-year-old girl will spend nearly six years in federal prison.

Albert Mathews, 45, Pierre, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier to 70 months of custody and five years supervised release after he pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact by a registered sex offender.

According to federal court documents, Mathews admitted to having sexual contact with the child in Parmelee on Oct. 2, 2006. He was convicted in 1984 of attempting to rape a 21-year-old woman.

In other federal court news:

- Ricky DeHorse, 53, Dupree, was sentenced by Judge Schreier to three years in prison and five years supervised release and ordered to pay $52.50 in restitution after he pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the charge involved a November 2006 sexual assault incident with a person who was incapable of consenting.

- Jason Leader Charge, 34, White River, was sentenced by Judge Schreier to 33 months in custody and three years supervised release after he pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon. The charge involved the knife assault of a man in Todd County last September. Leader Charge was originally indicted on an additional charge of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

- Jay Bee Young, 26, Rosebud, was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Moreno to a total of one year in prison for assaulting a St. Francis man in December 2007. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Young pleaded guilty to simple assault and assault by beating, striking and wounding, both of which are misdemeanors.

- Janell West, 39, Eagle Butte, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the charge involves a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in South Dakota between January 2002 and January 2008. The maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. West was released on bond pending sentencing.

- Phillip Robideau, 46, Pine Ridge, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He admitted to driving drunk and speeding when he caused an accident that killed Robert Lee Good Crow and Jacueline Renee Tail on Aug. 10, 2006 near Pine Ridge. The maximum penalty is six years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Robideau remains in custody pending sentencing Sept. 8.

- Manuel Garcia, 50, Denver, Colo., pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Federal court documents show he is accused of conspiring to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine since 2000. If convicted on the cocaine charge he would face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison with a maximum of life in prison and a $4 million fine. If convicted on the marijuana charge he could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. No trial date has been set.

- Jesus Guzman, 21, California, pleaded not guilty to a criminal complaint charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. According to a complaint filed in federal court by a tribal law enforcement officer, Guzman is accused of punching a woman in the head and using a pocketknife to lacerate her forehead during an argument that happened near Dupree on June 18. The maximum penalty upon conviction for each count is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. No trial date has been set.

- Lyle Eagle Tail, 23, Wanblee, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to federal court documents, he is accused of possessing a Peerless .22 caliber rifle at Wanblee on March 31. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Trial was set for Aug. 26.

The U.S. District Court generally prosecutes felonies committed on reservations, while tribal courts handle misdemeanor crimes. Felonies that happen off the reservation are prosecuted in state/circuit court and are reported separately in the Journal. Some drug and firearms cases are also prosecuted in federal court.