Amelia Schafer
ICT + Rapid City Journal
In a historic move, a Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe representative has been removed from tribal office for violating the tribal constitution.
Ronald Rosseau, 35, was removed from his position as a District 6 representative after being convicted in tribal court of elderly abuse and aggravated assault. Rosseau was found guilty of both charges and is awaiting sentences. Rosseau faces a sentence of up to one year in jail.
Article IV Section 2 of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe’s constitution states that any council member convicted in Federal, State or Tribal court may be removed from council following a two-thirds vote.
According to an April 3 press release, this is the first time that a Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe tribal council representative has been removed for violating the CRST constitution. Rousseau was formally removed from his position on March 27 – two years and seven months after the initial incident.
On Aug. 23, 2021, Rousseau’s uncle Richard Rosseau, 60, contacted the Cheyenne River Tribal Police Department after an altercation with his nephew that caused him serious bodily injury.
According to court documents posted to social media by the tribe, at approximately 9 p.m. on Aug. 23, 2021, Richard Rosseau and another man were standing on a gravel road by Richard’s shop in Ridgeview on the Cheyenne River Reservation. Ronald Rosseau and his daughter traveled in a go-kart down the same dirt road the two men were chatting on. Ronald Rosseau heard gravel strike the go-kart and his daughter cried out in pain. Richard stopped the go-kart, approached his uncle and struck him repeatedly while restraining him.
The incident was caught on video by the man Richard was speaking to.
A six-count complaint was filed against Ronald Rosseau by the CRST Prosecutor’s Office on Sept. 30, 2021. Rousseau was only charged with two counts and is awaiting sentencing.
Richard Rosseau died on April 9, 2022, in an unrelated accident, according to tribal court documents. Under Tribal Law and Custom, Richard Rosseau was considered to be a tribal elder.
The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe did not respond to requests for comment.
This story is co-published by the Rapid City Journal and ICT, a news partnership that covers Indigenous communities in the South Dakota area.
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