PIERRE — Federal prosecutors say a Pierre woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge of Involuntary Manslaughter. U-S Attorney Ron Parsons says 25 year-old Emerald Plenty Chief was indicted on the charge in January and entered a not guilty plea Tuesday. The Indictment claims Plenty Chief killed four year-old Evrik Plenty Chief by operating a motor vehicle in a grossly negligent manner on April 26 of 2020 in Hughes County. A 19 year-old passenger was injured in the crash. . The South Dakota Highway Patrol and Hughes County Sheriff responded to a fatal crash on West Bend Road on that same date. The Patrol says Plenty Chief was driving north on West Bend Road when the car entered the east ditch and rolled, ejecting two passengers. Plenty Chief, if convicted, could face up to eight years in federal prison and a 250-thousand dollar fine and three years of probation. Plenty Chief is free on bond and awaiting a trial date, which has not been set.
