All charges dropped against NDN Collective CEO Nick Tilsen

RAPID CITY – In a dramatic turn in a case that has drawn national attention, the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office has dropped all remaining charges against Nick Tilsen, Founder and CEO of NDN Collective, ending a years-long legal fight that supporters have long described as politically motivated.

In a March 16 statement, Pennington County State’s Attorney Lara Roetzel said the decision followed a full reassessment of the case after the mistrial.

“The decision to dismiss this case was made after careful review and thoughtful consideration,” Roetzel said. “Our office prosecuted this case based on the evidence and the law, and we remain confident that the charges were appropriate to bring.”

A representative for the office added that, after reviewing the evidence and the overall posture of the case, pursuing a retrial would not “be the most effective use of limited prosecutorial and court resources.”

The dismissal comes just weeks after Tilsen’s trial ended in a mistrial on January 29, when a 12 person jury deliberated for six hours but could not reach a unanimous verdict. Tilsen had faced up to 26 years in prison, charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, obstructing law enforcement, and—added less than two weeks before trial—simple assault on a law enforcement officer.

With the state’s decision, the case that once threatened to imprison one of the most visible Indigenous movement leaders in the country has now closed.

Moments after learning the charges were dropped, Tilsen released a statement framing the outcome not as a gift from the legal system, but as a victory won by collective struggle.

“Today I am free! My freedom wasn’t granted by a judge, a jury, or the settler colonial court system. My freedom was won by the people, the movement, and the ancestors,” he said. “We organized, prayed, wrote, called, and fought these politically motivated charges with integrity, deep principles, and strong beliefs.”

Tilsen’s words echoed the tone he has maintained since the day of his arrest: that the case was never simply about one man, but about the broader effort to suppress Indigenous resistance, land back organizing, and community power building.

He added that the prosecution’s persistence, from the initial charges to the last-minute additions, reflected fear of Indigenous self determination.

“They’re afraid because we aren’t just speaking truth to power, we are successfully building new solutions, exercising our rights, and changing the state’s violent systems that have oppressed Indigenous people for hundreds of years.”

From the outset, NDN Collective and many Native leaders described the charges as an attempt to silence a prominent organizer whose work has reshaped conversations about land, policing, and Indigenous rights in South Dakota and beyond. The organization consistently argued that the prosecution was disproportionate, punitive, and rooted in political retaliation. Supporters pointed to Tilsen’s leadership in the LANDBACK movement, his national visibility, and his outspoken criticism of state and local systems as factors that made him a target.

The mistrial in January, jurors unable to agree on guilt, signaled the fragility of the state’s case. The dismissal now confirms that prosecutors will not attempt a retrial.

In his statement, Tilsen emphasized that the ordeal had not weakened the movement but strengthened it.

“I will never apologize for protecting my people or standing up for Mother Earth,” he said. “Our very survival as people is dependent on our ability to look out for one another, build stronger and safer communities, and push back against the system that attempts to criminalize and vilify us.”

He thanked elders, family, attorneys, and the NDN Collective team for standing with him, saying the experience had sharpened their resolve.

“We are stronger than ever, more strategic and re energized for the path ahead. We will continue to exercise Indigenous self-determination and build collective power for all people and Mother Earth.”

The end of the case removes a cloud that has hung over Tilsen and NDN Collective for years. It also marks a rare moment in South Dakota’s legal landscape: a high-profile Indigenous defendant walking away from charges that once carried decades of potential prison time.

For many in the community, the dismissal is not just a legal outcome but a symbolic one, a recognition of the power of organized resistance, and a reminder of the scrutiny Indigenous leaders continue to face when challenging entrenched systems.

The movement that rallied around Tilsen now turns its attention back to the work that made him a target in the first place: land reclamation, community safety, climate justice, and the assertion of Indigenous sovereignty.

(Contact Ernestine Anunkasan Hopa at editor@nativesunnews.today)

The post All charges dropped against NDN Collective CEO Nick Tilsen first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

Visit Original Source