PIERRE — A one-time Davison County sex offender from 1989 has been convicted on federal charges in South Dakota for failing to register as a sex offender between 2020 and 2022.
James Peneaux, age 56, of Mission, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The sentencing took place on Monday, Aug. 14.
Peneaux was indicted for failing to register as a sex offender by a federal grand jury in January 2023. He pleaded guilty on May 18, 2023.
Peneaux was convicted of felony sexual contact with a 12-year-old girl in Davison County in 1989. As a result of this conviction, Peneaux is required to register quarterly and within three business days of a change in residence, employment, or education status. In March 2020, Peneaux relocated from Sioux Falls to Mission. Peneaux initially complied with his registration requirements but failed to complete any registration after December 2020. An investigation revealed that Peneaux was no longer residing at his registered address and his whereabouts were unknown until his arrest in December 2022.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler prosecuted the case. Peneaux was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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