Rapid City police made two arrests Thursday evening in separate incidents involving drug activity and assault, while a Pennington County man was sentenced the same day in a child sexual abuse case.
At about 6:40 p.m., officers were called to a parking lot in the 1000 block of East Saint Patrick Street after reports of a man ingesting drugs. Police located the suspect inside a vehicle and observed a baggie containing a white crystalline substance. The man, identified as 35-year-old Tyler Burton of Rapid City, was detained. The substance later tested positive for methamphetamine, and officers also found drug paraphernalia in the vehicle.
According to police, further investigation indicated Burton was involved in the distribution of methamphetamine in the community. He was arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and distribution of a controlled substance, and was transported to the Pennington County Jail.
Less than two hours later, around 8:15 p.m., officers responded to a report of a physical altercation in a parking lot in the 500 block of East North Street. Upon arrival, police found a man, later identified as 35-year-old Shawn Marrowbone of Rapid City, actively assaulting another individual on the ground. Officers intervened and took Marrowbone into custody.
Witnesses told police that Marrowbone had allegedly thrown a rock through the windshield of a nearby parked vehicle. When the vehicle’s owner confronted him, Marrowbone reportedly began assaulting the victim. He was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, felony vandalism, and a parole hold, and was also taken to the Pennington County Jail.
In a separate case, 47-year-old Treon Middletent of Pennington County was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison after being found guilty by a jury in March of three counts of sexual contact with a child under the age of 16. Judge Gordon Swanson ordered the three 15-year sentences to be served concurrently.
The charges stemmed from incidents between December 2020 and May 2022 involving a child known to Middletent. Prosecutors said evidence at trial showed Middletent was a trusted adult in the victim’s life and began abusing her when she was 10 years old.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy State’s Attorneys Jason Thomas and Emily Toms. Sexual contact with a child under 16 is a Class 3 felony in South Dakota, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.
