PIERRE — A Harrold man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for assaulting a federal law enforcement officer. U-S Attorney Alison Ramsdell says 31 year-old Richard Barela was given a 84-month federal sentence. Barela was serving time at the Yankton Community Work Center in January of 2020 on a Hughes County drug conviction when he escaped and stole a Department of Corrections vehicle. It was January 14th of 2020 when multiple law enforcement agencies executed an arrest warrant on Barela at a Pierre home. Barela was located in the basement and refused to give-up. That led to a four-hour standoff in sub-zero temperatures. Barela told officers that he was not going back to prison and they would have to kill him to get him out. Barela also had a knife and threatened to kill any law enforcement that tried to arrest him. Police used tear gas to try and get Barela to give up. Barela must serve three years of probation following his release from prison.
