United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Assault by Strangulation and Suffocation.
Talon Bettelyoun, Sr., age 30, was indicted on March 8, 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on March 14, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on October 22, 2021, in Todd County, South Dakota, Bettelyoun unlawfully assaulted an intimate partner by strangling and suffocating her.
The charge is merely an accusation and Bettelyoun is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Bettelyoun was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.