Federal prosecutors have charged a McLaughlin man with assaulting two National Park Service rangers in Badlands National Park last October.

Patrick White Mountain, 48, also is charged with illegal firearms possession and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He has pleaded not guilty.

According to federal court documents, White Mountain was a convicted felon and a fugitive from justice when he was caught with a .38-caliber revolver Oct. 1, 2007. Prosecutors say White Mountain assaulted park rangers Vincent Littlewhiteman and Chad Coles at that time. White Mountain also is accused of possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute it and with possessing a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's office, the maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years in prison for the felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm by a fugitive charges. Each of the two assault charges carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison upon conviction.

The marijuana charge is punishable upon conviction by up to five years in prison. Possessing a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, with a maximum of life in prison, to run consecutive to any underlying sentence.

Each charge also can carry a $250,000 fine upon conviction.

No trial date was set.

In other U.S. District Court cases:

y Jesus Antonio Guzman, 21, of California was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Moreno to 10 months in custody for assaulting a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe near Dupree on June 18. Guzman also must pay restitution. He was originally indicted on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. He later pleaded guilty to simple assault and assault by striking, beating or wounding.

y John B. Bad Hand, 23, Todd County, pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact, admitting that he had sexual contact with a girl younger than 16 during a two-month period in 2007. The maximum penalty is four years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Bad Hand was detained pending sentencing Dec. 15.

y James Victor McGilberry Jr., also known as BG, 30, Aurora, Colo., pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute marijuana. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison and a $4 million fine upon conviction. No trial date was set.

y Eric Clanton, also known as "Spoo," 23, Aurora, Colo., pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and distribution of a controlled substance. He is accused of conspiring to distribute marijuana. The conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, with a maximum of 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine. The distribution charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. No trial date was set.

y Arley Roach, 24, Black Hawk, pleaded not guilty to possessing a Remington shotgun that was not registered to him. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. No trial date was set.

y Patricia Rose Thin Elk, also known as Patricia Rose Jones, 42, Mission, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging her with embezzlement and theft from a tribal organization. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's office, the charges stem from accusations that Thin Elk, while employed as a tribal court clerk and bondsman, embezzled and "converted to her own use cash and other property" worth more than $1,000 belonging to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. The maximum penalty upon conviction is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Thin Elk was released on bond pending trial.

Editor's note: The U.S. District Court generally prosecutes felonies committed on reservations, and 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.