RAPID CITY, S.D. – A 22-year-old Rapid City man was sentenced yesterday to 12 years in the South Dakota State Penitentiary for his role in a December 2025 convenience store robbery[Original Story].

Arlo Poor Thunder pleaded guilty earlier this month to aiding and abetting first-degree robbery. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. Along with the penitentiary sentence, the court ordered Poor Thunder to pay all associated court costs.

During the sentencing hearing, Pennington County Senior Deputy State’s Attorney Braedon Houdek stated that Poor Thunder participated in a planned robbery. A store clerk was threatened with what appeared to be a firearm, causing the victim to believe the weapon was real and fear for her life.

“Harm is not measured solely in bloodshed; it is measured in the trauma of a person forced at gunpoint to submit to the defendant’s will. And this harm was not just felt by the victim in this case, it ripples outward,” Houdek said. “When the people of Pennington County read about an armed robbery at a local convenience store, it erodes their sense of safety.”

Houdek told the court that Poor Thunder drew his 16-year-old nephew into the offense, directing the juvenile to act as a lookout during the Rapid City robbery.

The prosecution also presented evidence of Poor Thunder’s ongoing violent behavior while in custody, noting that he assaulted another inmate while awaiting the resolution of this case.

The case was prosecuted on behalf of the state by Houdek.