Keith Ferguson, a Kyle, South Dakota native and longtime football coach, and his brother, Brandon, are gaining people’s attention after reporting child abuse by former Little Wound High School teacher Roman Vasquez.
In a now viral social media post of Brandon Ferguson he revealed that even seventy days after he and his brother, Keith Ferguson reported serious allegations of child abuse and misconduct involving Lakota teen boys by Roman Vasquez, a former teacher at Little Wound High School, the school board remains silent and hasn’t taken publc action or suspend superintended Sherei Ricketts, who apparently protected the predator.
Despite a recorded confession by Vasquez and Brandon and Keith’s repeated pleas, Ricketts allegedly refused to terminate the instructor.
The post further reads that in stark contrast, the Oglala Sioux Tribe immediately declared a State of Emergency and issued a Banishment Order for Vasquez after reviewing the same evidence.
Similarly, Brandon revealed Superintendent Ricketts’ failure to take action on over 40 complaints submitted by current and former school staff, students, and families.
These complaints detailed repeated incidents of child sexual abuse, exploitation, and inappropriate behavior by Vasquez.
Ricketts reportedly ignored mandatory reporting laws and failed to utilize the SCAN (Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect) reporting system, a legal requirement, according to Brandon Ferguson.
Concerns Raised About Roman Vasquez’s Role Didn’t Stop Him From Teaching Brandon Ferguson’s Son, Prompting Keith Ferguson to Take Action
In the social media post, Brand Ferguson mentioned that his son, Keith Ferguson’s nephew, a senior at Little Wound, was instructed to attend summer school starting June 2 to complete his diploma.
Just a day before classes began, he received an email naming Roman Vasquez as his instructor. This was just two days after Brandon had submitted a formal complaint and evidence against Vasquez.
He added that despite direct communication to Ricketts, Vasquez remained in his teaching role.
Concerned by the school’s inaction and the absence of law enforcement interviews with the victims, Brandon turned to his brother, Keith Ferguson, a former school athletic director, coach, and instructor.
Keith, as a mandatory reporter, immediately contacted the Rapid City Police Department. Likewise, a detective took a formal statement from Brandon within hours.
However, jurisdictional issues emerged, as the victims were tribal members and the school is located on federal land.
Brandon further revealed that by late June, Vasquez had left school housing and announced a move to Texas. Yet, it wasn’t until Brandon tried to present his case at the July 7 School Board meeting that tensions escalated.
Though he was confirmed on the agenda and had a visitor pass, school security asked him to leave. When he refused, a security officer attempted to forcibly remove his phone and allegedly assaulted him.
A responding OST officer intially identified the encounter an assault and asked Brandon to file charges.
However, Lieutenant Carlene Janis later threatened Brandon with arrest for trespassing, despite there being no legal justification or signage prohibiting his presence..
Brandon attempted to explain that he was a journalist gathering evidence and legally allowed to attend the public meeting.
He called OST Dispatch to report the threat and was told Captain Means would follow up. Although she later promised to review the incident, no action had been taken as of 30 days later.
Following this, Brandon and Keith were invited to speak at the July 21 OST Education Committee meeting.
In response to Brandon’s documentation and testimony, the Committee declared a State of Emergency and issued an Order of Banishment for Vasquez.
They also directed OST Attorney Rae Ann Red Owl to investigate Ricketts’ failure to report. The Committee ordered further trainings on mandatory reporting and demanded review of teaching materials.
Vasquez’s classroom materials, which included graphic sexual content and racially offensive depictions of Lakota people, had previously led to student complaints. Some students avoided class altogether out of fear.
Despite numerous complaints, students were dropped or failed for not completing Vasquez’s disturbing assignments.
Several students reported that Vasquez groomed specific boys by offering them jobs at his home. Brandon shared all this information publicly to empower more victims to speak out. As a result, new victims and witnesses have since come forward.
Similarly, Brandon stressed that the fear of retaliation from Ricketts remains high among current staff.
Many believe reporting misconduct risks job termination due to a pattern of retaliation by Ricketts. Staff members have shared that their trust in the system is broken, but hope that public awareness will lead to real accountability.
Brandon has officially requested to be added to the agenda for the upcoming School Board meeting on August 11, 2025.
He intends to present formal complaints and evidence against Ricketts and the school security personnel involved in his removal. He is also calling for Ricketts to be suspended without pay pending the outcome of federal, tribal, and state investigations.
Federal investigations into Vasquez have been opened by the FBI, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and Rapid City Police Department. Tribal and BIA investigations into Ricketts and school leadership are also underway.
Brandon further concluded his statement saying “Together We Are Ending the Silence.”
He and his brother Coach Keith Ferguson aims to ensure the safety of Lakota youth, expose misconduct, and hold those in power accountable.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Keith Ferguson played college football at Chadron State College, an NCAA Division II school from which he earned his degree in Comprehensive Recreation with a Coaching minor in 2007.
- He began his coaching career with Red Cloud Indian School as their head football coach, leading his team to win their first conference championship in school history.
