Eagle Butte man sentenced to more than 2 years for assaulting federal officer

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - An Eagle Butte man will spend more than two years in federal prison after resisting arrest on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation.

Philip Lamar Nordvold, 48, also known as PJ Nordvold, was sentenced Monday to two years and four months in federal prison for assaulting, resisting and impeding a federal officer, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The case stems from an incident on May 15, 2025, when a Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe law enforcement officer tried to arrest Nordvold on an outstanding warrant.

Prosecutors said Nordvold resisted by holding a knife above his head and yelling that he was not going back to jail. He was taken into custody after dropping the knife.

A federal grand jury indicted Nordvold in January 2026. He pleaded guilty on July 27.

In addition to his prison sentence, Nordvold must serve three years of supervised release and pay a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

He was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to begin serving his sentence.

The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted it.

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