RAPID CITY — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - South Dakota), published as received.
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Summerset, South Dakota, man convicted of Distribution of a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on November 18, 2022.
Thomas Beetem, 27, was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison, followed by three years supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Beetem was indicted for Distribution of a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in February of 2022. He pleaded guilty on July 27, 2022.
Beetem obtained a substance containing a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, and then distributed that substance to another person in Rapid City, South Dakota.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Meade County Sheriff’s Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Beetem was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
