PIERRE – United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a South Dakota man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on January 20, 2026.
David George Flute, III, 36, was sentenced to two years and one month in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Flute was indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender by a federal grand jury in June 2025. He pleaded guilty on October 20, 2025.
Flute was previously convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child. Due to this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender. Flute has seven prior convictions for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender and is well-aware of his obligation to register and to keep his registration current. Following his most recent release from federal prison on November 11, 2024, Flute decided to abscond from probation and remain on the lam until located and arrested by United States Marshals in Sioux Falls on May 21, 2025.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
Flute was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to serve his federal sentence.
This case was brought as a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Unit prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — South Dakota — U.S. Department of Justice press release.