Lower Brule man pleads not guilty in assault case

LOWER BRULE — A 53-year-old Lower Brule man pleaded not guilty Friday in federal court to assault resulting in serious bodily injury and maiming.

If convicted, Earl LaRoche faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for the maiming charge and 10 years in prison for the assault charge. For each charge, he could also be fined $250,000 and spend three years on supervised release. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 8.

The charges stem from an incident in October 2011 in which LaRoche allegedly assaulted and bit the ear of a female victim. LaRoche was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not yet been set.

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