United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child and Witness Tampering.
Jerome Moses Goodhouse, Jr., age 30, was indicted on January 12, 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on March 3, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, a lifetime of supervised release, $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and $5,000 to the Domestic Trafficking Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that in 2017 at McLaughlin, Goodhouse sexually abused two minor victims. He also knowingly intimidated and threatened one of his victims to not report what he had done to law enforcement.
The charges are merely accusations and Goodhouse is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook is prosecuting the case.
Goodhouse was released on bond pending trial. A trial date was set for April 19, 2022.