Red Lake man pleads guilty to sexually abusing a girl

On Friday morning in federal court in Duluth, a 22-year-old Red Lake man pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a girl while on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

Byron Keith Kingbird Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of sexual abuse of a minor. Kingbird, who was indicted May 2, entered his plea before United States District Court Chief Judge Michael J. Davis.

In his plea agreement, Kingbird admitted that in January 2009 he had assaulted the girl whose age was between 12 and16.

For his crime, Kingbird faces a potential maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Judge Davis will determine his sentence at a future hearing, yet to be scheduled.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Red Lake Tribal Police Department, with assistance from the Family Advocacy Center in Bemidji. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Steinkamp.

Because the Red Lake Indian Reservation is a federal-jurisdiction reservation, some of the crimes that are committed there are investigated by the FBI in conjunction with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department. Those cases are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.