Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)

TRIBAL JUSTICE NEWS October 28, 2011

U.S. Attorney Announces Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced the implementation of a program designed to remove old and outdated prescription drugs and medicines from homes in N.D. tribal communities. The program is called the Indian Country Take Back Initiative and is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on each of the four reservations in N.D. The program is a cooperative effort between the N.D. U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services. The Take Back Initiative is designed to get old, expired, and unused medications out of homes and properly destroyed.

U.S. Attorney Participates in Media Conference at Abused Adult Resource Center to Observe Domestic Violence Awareness Month (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon participated in a media conference at the Abused Adult Resource Center in Bismarck to discuss recent Department of Justice grants in excess of $1.3 million to three North Dakota organizations who assist victims of domestic violence and to commemorate National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Other participants included Diane Zainhofsky, Executive Director of the Abused Adult Resource Center, Bismarck, Linda Thompson, Director of the First Nations Women’s Alliance, Devils Lake, and Janelle Moos, Executive Director of the North Dakota Council on Abused Women’s Services, Bismarck, the Abused Adult Resource Center, the First Nations Women’s Alliance, and the North Dakota Council on Abused Women’s Services. Grants are targeted as supporting programs aimed at reducing domestic violence and supporting the victims of this crime.

Northern Arapaho Man Sentenced for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury (U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming)

U.S. Attorney Christopher A. Crofts announced that Vincent Dale Redman, III, of the Wind River Reservation, an enrolled Northern Arapaho tribal member, was sentenced on Oct. 25, 2011, for assault resulting in serious bodily injury for an attack on his girlfriend. Redman was sentenced to 30 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, was ordered to pay restitution to Indian Health Services.

Shiprock Man Receives 168 Month Prison Sentence For Second Degree Murder Conviction (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that a federal judge sentenced Gary Redhorse John Begay, 26, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation from Shiprock, N.M., to 168 months imprisonment for his second degree murder conviction. Begay will be on supervised release for five years after he completes his prison sentence. Begay initially was charged with murder in a criminal complaint filed on December 20, 2010, and subsequently was indicted and charged with second degree murder of Allen Ashike, also a member of the Navajo Nation, and using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.

Newcomb, N.M. Man Sentenced To 27 Months For Federal Arson Conviction (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that in Albuquerque federal court, Derrick Jones Yazzie, 30, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation from Newcomb, N.M., was sentenced to 27-months in prison for his arson conviction. Yazzie will be on supervised release for five years after he completes his prison sentence. Yazzie was arrested on Aug. 11, 2010 and charged with arson in a criminal complaint. Court records reflect that Yazzie was charged with arson after he used gasoline and matches to burn a neighbor’s house while the neighbor (the victim) was inside.

Former Officer and Wife Sentenced for Embezzlement and Theft From an Indian Tribal Organization (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Oct. 26, 2011, Carl and Barbara Walking Eagle of Fort Totten, N.D., were sentenced on charges of embezzlement and theft from an Indian Tribal Organization. Carl Walking Eagle served on the Spirit Lake Tribal Council since 1981 and was the Vice Chairman of the tribe at the time of the criminal conduct.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nd/pressreleases/2011/10-27-2011-Carl%20and%20Barbara%20Walking%20Eagle.pdf

Lower Brule Man Sentenced for Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana

(U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Lower Brule man charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana was sentenced on Oct. 25, 2011. Vincent Battese, 25, was sentenced to six months in custody, two years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Victim Assistance Fund. Battese was arrested and found to be in possession of nine baggies containing 1.95 ounces/55.3 grams of marijuana.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/Pierre-2011-10-25-Battese.html

Wakpala Man Sentenced for Involuntary Manslaughter (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Wakpala man charged with Involuntary Manslaughter was sentenced on Oct. 24, 2011. Jeffery James Cadotte, Jr., aka Jeffrey James Cadotte, Jr., 34, was sentenced to 33 months in custody, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Victim Assistance Fund.. The conviction arose out of a February 23, 2011, one-car rollover near Wakpala, S.D. On that day, Cadotte drank until he became intoxicated. He then got into a pickup truck and picked up the victim and Cadotte’s three-year-old son in Wakpala. They drove around until around 10:00 p.m., when because of Cadotte’s intoxication, he lost control of the pickup, and ended up in a one-vehicle car crash. This car crash resulted in the death of Cari Hill, 27. Cadotte pleaded guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/Pierre-2011-10-26-Cadotte.html

Lame Deer Man Sentenced In U.S. District Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)

U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter announced that during a federal court session in Billings, James Hisbadhorse, 44, formerly of Lame Deer, appeared for sentencing. Hisbadhorse was sentenced to 360 months in prison, consecutive to a Washington sentence and lifetime supervised release. Hisbadhorse was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to aggravated sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/20111026152913.html

Gila River Man Sentenced to Over Seven Years in Federal Prison for Selling Crack Cocaine (U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona)

Acting U.S. Attorney Ann Scheel announced that Darin James Kisto, 42, of Laveen, Ariz., was sentenced on Oct. 24, 2011 to 87 months in federal prison for selling cocaine base to an undercover officer on the Gila River Indian Reservation.

Indictment Unsealed Charging Former President of Tonkawa Tribe with Embezzling Tribal Funds (U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma)

U.S. Attorney Sanford C. Coats announced on Oct. 24, 2011 that a federal indictment was unsealed charging Anthony E. Street, 47, of Ponca City, Okla., with embezzlement from the Tonkawa Tribe. According to the indictment, Street was elected President of the Tonkawa Tribe in April 2005 and served until April 2008. During that same time, Gordon L. Warrior served as the Tribe’s elected Vice-President, and Dawena Pappan was elected as the Tribe’s Secretary-Treasurer. Together, the three made up the Tribe’s Business Committee and handled the Tribe’s day-to-day affairs. The indictment charges Street with one count of conspiring with Warrior and Pappan to embezzle money from the Tribe’s General Fund from 2005 through 2008. The indictment alleges that Street, Warrior, and Pappan together embezzled more than $500,000 by issuing themselves more than 300 checks. The indictment also charges Street with 16 additional counts of tribal embezzlement for checks issued to him from the General Fund.

Heart Butte Man Pleads Guilty to Assault (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)

U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter announced that during a federal court session that Hiram Evans, 28, of Heart Butte, Mont., pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. According documents filed in federal court, the government stated it would have proved at trial that on Jan. 22, 2011, several individuals were drinking alcohol at a home in Heart Butte on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. After going to a back room to sleep, the victim awoke to Evans punching him in the head, then was repeatedly kicked and beaten by Evans and another individual.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/20111025091054.html

South Dakota Woman Sentenced for Making False Statements (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Oct. 20, 2011, Victoria Bobtail Bear, 46, of McLaughlin, S.D., was sentenced to 104 days in custody to be followed by a placement at a halfway house for up to six months. Bobtail Bear will be on supervised release for three years. Bobtail Bear pleaded guilty to a charge of false statements on Aug. 1, 2011. On Nov. 30, 2010, Bobtail Bear was arrested by a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) police officer on a charge of disorderly conduct. Bobtail Bear was placed in the BIA officer’s patrol vehicle and was transported to the detention facility in Fort Yates. Bobtail Bear later reported to a BIA criminal investigator that she had been sexually assaulted by the BIA police officer en route to the detention center. The accused officer had recorded the entire event, from arrest to transport to the detention facility, on his lapel camera, which established that at no time did the officer engage in any type of inappropriate conduct with Bobtail Bear.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nd/pressreleases/2011/10-20-2011-Bobtail%20Bear%20Sentenced.pdf

St. Michael Man Pleads Guilty and Sentenced on Federal Firearm and Assault Charges (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced on Oct. 24, 2011, Levi Brandon Jerome of St. Michael, N.D., pleaded guilty and was sentenced on two separate charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Jerome, 23, pleaded guilty to possessing a Model SKS, 7.62x39mm caliber rifle on April 8, 2010. Jerome previously had been convicted in Nov. 2007, of two felony charges in Ramsey County District Court, State of North Dakota. Jerome is prohibited from owning or possessing any firearms due to these convictions. Jerome also pleaded guilty to physically assaulting a 16-year-old male on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation in May 2010. After arguing with another individual, Jerome struck the juvenile who was standing nearby. The juvenile was taken to a Devils Lake hospital and later required surgery for a broken jaw.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nd/pressreleases/2011/10-20-2011-Yankton%20Sentenced.pdf

Wolf Point Man Found Guilty Aggravated Sexual Abuse (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)

U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter announced that on Oct. 25, 2011, in Great Falls, after a federal district court trial before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, Patrick J. Laverdure, 32, of Wolf Point and an enrolled member of the Fort Peck Tribes, was found guilty of aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/20111026105754.html

Cherry Creek Man Sentenced for Burglarizing Isabel Residence (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Cherry Creek man charged with Second Degree Burglary was sentenced on Oct. 24, 2011. Christopher James Fire Cloud, 19, was sentenced to 24 months in custody, 2 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Victim Assistance Fund. Fire Cloud was indicted for First Degree Burglary, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, and Possession of a Stolen Firearm by a federal grand jury on May 10, 2011. Fire Cloud pled guilty to Second Degree Burglary on Aug. 15, 2011.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/Pierre-2011-10-24-Fire%20Cloud.html

Billings Man Sentenced For Illegal Transportation and Storage of Hazardous Waste on Fort Peck Reservation (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Robert Darren Fromdahl, a 46-year-old resident of Billings, appeared for sentencing. Fromdahl was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to transporting hazardous waste to an unpermitted facility and storing hazardous waste without a permit. Approximately 45 drums of unknown substances were found on land being leased from the Fort Peck Indian Reservation tribal government. Fromdahl had paid the owner to store the barrels on his property.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/20111020082819.html

Okreek Man Pleads Guilty to Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Adam Joe Hedrick, a/k/a Wah-T Bear Shield, 33, of Okreek, S.D., pleaded guilty in federal court to Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. At a drinking gathering on Feb. 26, 2010, Adam Joe Hedrick, a/k/a Wah-T Bear Shield, grabbed the victim’s arm and pushed it against a heating element on a stove, causing her arm to burn in a circular burn pattern. When she was burned, she experienced extreme physical pain and serious bodily injury. Her arm later became swollen and infected from the burn. The outline of the burn mark remained visible after the assault. A sentencing date was set for Jan. 9, 2012.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/Pierre-2011-10-20-Hedrick.html

Navajo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Assault Charge (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that Ervin Yazzie, 33, pled guilty to an assault resulting in serious bodily injury charge in Albuquerque federal court on Oct. 20, 2011. Yazzie admitted he intentionally assaulted an unarmed Navajo woman with a baseball bat on July 17, 2008 within the Navajo Indian reservation. At sentencing, Yazzie faces a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment to be followed by not more than three years of supervised release. Yazzie, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, has been in federal custody since his arrest on May 3, 2011. He remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nm/pr/2011/2011-10-20_yazzie_pr.pdf

Navajo Man to Serve 27 Months in Prison for Federal DUI-Related Assault Conviction (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that Diono H. Pete, 48, was sentenced to a 27-month term of imprisonment for his assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Pete, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, admitted to striking a motorcyclist from behind with his vehicle while intoxicated. The investigation revealed there were no skid marks or evidence of braking at the scene. Pete will be on supervised release for two years after he completes his prison sentence. He had been on conditions of release since his arrest on Oct. 13, 2010. He was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Service at the conclusion of his sentencing hearing.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nm/pr/2011/2011-10-20_pete_pr.pdf

Woman From Bull Head Sentenced for Stabbing a Man (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Lee Ann Brown, 36, of Bull Head, S.D., was sentenced on Oct.17, 2011, to 40 months in prison, three years’ supervised release, a $100 victim assessment, and $3,000 in restitution. Brown was indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 13, 2010. In November 2008, she killed a man by stabbing him during an argument at a home they shared. Brown pleaded guilty to the offense on July 25, 2011.

Wanblee Man Pleads Guilty to Larceny (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Jeffrey Chipps, 21, of Wanblee, South Dakota, pled guilty on Oct. 20, 2011 to count three of an indictment that charged him with Larceny. The charge relates to Chipps stealing a 2008 Chevy Trailblazer from Wanblee on April 25, 2011. A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date was set for Jan. 13, 2012. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/RC-2011-10-20-Chipps.html

Navajo Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Federal Assault Conviction (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that Tony Curtis Jr., 38, was sentenced to a 15-month term of imprisonment to be followed by two years of supervised release for his federal assault conviction. Curtis was charged with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault with a dangerous weapon for hitting a 22-year-old man in the head with a sledge hammer on July 30, 2010 on property located within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nm/pr/2011/2011-10-25_curtis_pr.pdf

Informational: Federal Court Arraignments (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)

The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, Perry Nation, 49, of Missoula, appeared on charges of aggravated sexual abuse and sexual abuse which took place within the exterior boundaries of the Crow Indian Reservation. Also, Sheldon B. Chase, 22, of Lodge Grass, appeared on three counts of first degree murder which took place within the exterior boundaries of the Crow Indian Reservation. He is currently detained.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/20111024162054.html

Informational: Federal Court Arraignments (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Dawson Demontiney, 25, of Box Elder, appeared on a charge of involuntary manslaughter which took place within the exterior boundaries of the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. Also, Jonson Running Crane, 23, appeared on a charge of assault resulting in serious bodily injury which took place within the exterior boundaries of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The defendants pled not guilty to the charges.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/20111026084231.html

 

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