TRIBAL JUSTICE NEWS
WEEK OF DECEMBER 1, 2010

Contact: Jessica Smith, Office of Public Affairs: (202) 514-2007

North Dakota Man Sentenced for Assault (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Nov. 29, 2010, Joseph Great Walker, 20, of Dunseith, N.D., was sentenced before U.S. District Court Judge Daniel L. Hovland on a charge of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Great Walker pleaded guilty to the charge on Aug. 30, 2010.  Judge Hovland sentenced Great Walker to three years and five months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Great Walker was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund and restitution is yet to be determined.  Sometime between March 14 and 15, 2009, Great Walker attacked and assaulted a man who was walking in the St. Mary’s housing area near Dunseith.  Following the assault, the victim was taken to the hospital where he underwent surgery for a fractured leg.
           
www.justice.gov/usao/nd/pressreleases/index.html

Minnesota Man Sentenced for Voluntary Manslaughter (U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota)
U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones announced on Nov. 30, 2010, that a 20-year-old Red Lake, Minn., man was sentenced in federal court in Duluth, N.D., for unlawfully killing a 27-year-old Red Lake man on Feb. 1, 2010. U.S. District Court Judge Richard H. Kyle sentenced Ryan Roy Cloud to 78 months in prison on one count of voluntary manslaughter. Cloud was indicted on April 3, 2010, and pleaded guilty on Aug. 20, 2010.  In his plea agreement, Cloud admitted stabbing the man at a Red Lake residence during a party.

www.justice.gov/usao/mn/press.html

Elwyn “Jack” Has The Eagle Sentenced in U.S. District Court as Part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Fearless Justice Initiative (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)
U.S. Attorney Michael W. Cotter announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, Mont., on Nov. 29, 2010, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, Elwyn Has The Eagle, commonly known as Jack Has The Eagle, a 57-year-old resident of Lodge Pole, Mont., was sentenced to 108 months prison and three years supervised release.  Has The Eagle was sentenced after a federal district court trial in which he was found guilty of obstruction of justice and witness tampering.  During the early morning hours of Dec. 17, 2008, Has The Eagle’s son, Jay Has The Eagle, entered the home of an elderly Fort Belknap, Mont., couple, Doreen Manzanares, 63, and Calvin Snell, 69.  Jay Has The Eagle stabbed both victims to death and fled.

www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/last20.html

The U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces the Fearless Justice Initiative (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)
Fearless Justice is an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in partnership with the FBI and tribal authorities, designed to strengthen public safety efforts in Montana’s Indian communities through the suppression of intimidation and coercion of victims and witnesses to crime.  Fearless Justice seeks to give victims and witnesses a safe haven; an environment where doing the right thing does not expose them to danger, fear, guilt, remorse or retribution of any kind.

www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/last20.html

Michael James Bear Cub Sentenced in U.S. District Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)
U.S. Attorney Michael W. Cotter announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, Mont., on Nov. 29, 2010, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, Michael James Bear Cub, a 22-year-old resident of Poplar, Mont., was sentenced to 33 months in prison, $100 special assessment and three years supervised release. Bear Cub was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.  In an offer of proof, the government stated it would have proved that on the morning of Sept. 20, 2009, Bear Cub, became angry with his girlfriend, “R.M.”, and confronted her in the parking lot of an apartment building in Poplar on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.  A Fort Peck Tribal Police officer was dispatched to the scene where he found Bear Cub sitting behind “R.M.” with his arm around her neck on a table in front of a burned-out house.  “R.M.’s” face was swollen and smeared with blood.  When questioned, “R.M.” stated that she remembers Bear Cub repeatedly kicking her in the head and that she asked him to stop.

www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/last20.html

Doran Flynn Sentenced in U.S. District Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)
U.S. Attorney Michael W. Cotter announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, Mont., on Nov. 29, 2010, before U.S. District Judge U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, Doran Flynn, a 30-year-old resident of Wolf Point, Mont., was sentenced to 24 months prison, $100 special assessment, $2,057.50 in restitution and three years supervised release.  Flynn was sentenced in connection with her guilty plea to involuntary manslaughter on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/last20.html

New Mexico Man Sentenced to Prison for Assault on a Federal Officer (U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado)
U.S. Attorney John F. Walsh announced on Nov. 26, 2010, that Ronald Romero, of Gallup, N.M., and a member of the Nambe Pueblo Tribe, was sentenced to serve 51 months (more than 4 years) in federal prison for assaulting a federal officer.  The prison sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Philip A. Brimmer.  Ronald Romero was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on Oct. 6, 2009.  He was found guilty of assaulting a federal officer on September 2, 2010, following a three day jury trial, which was held in Durango, Colo.  Romero was sentenced on Nov. 23, 2010.  According to the indictment, on Nov. 28, 2008, at the Ute Mountain jail facility in Towaoc, Colo., Romero grabbed the face of a Bureau of Indian Affairs officer, gouging at the officer’s eye.  The officer’s right cornea was scratched in the assault.

www.justice.gov/usao/nm/pr/index.html

South Dakota Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of a Minor (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Nicodemus J. Blue Bird, 43, of Mission, S.D., appeared before U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange on Nov. 24, 2010, and pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor.  The charge relates to Blue Bird sexually abusing a minor female between July and August 2010 in Todd County, S.D. 
               
www.justice.gov/usao/sd/Media.html

Arizona Man Indicted for Sexual Assault and Beating of a Pastor (U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona)
U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke announced on Nov. 24, 2010, that a federal grand jury in Phoenix has returned a four-count indictment against Eugene Clark, 25, of Chinle, Ariz., for a violation of assault resulting in serious bodily injury, assault with a dangerous weapon, burglary in the first degree and aggravated sexual abuse.  The indictment alleges that in January 2005, Clark broke into the home of a female victim, a lay pastor, in Chinle. He repeatedly beat her in the head with a hammer while sexually assaulting her and her injuries required hospitalization.

www.justice.gov/usao/az/press_releases/index.html

Tribal-led Task Force Dismantles Meth Ring on Tohono O’odham Nation (U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona)
U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke announced on Nov. 24, 2010, that law enforcement officers from the Tohono O’odham Nation Police Department led a multi-jurisdictional task force in an afternoon sweep last week, resulting in four arrests and one federal search warrant. The combined tribal-federal operation targeted a network of alleged methamphetamine dealers in the San Lucy area on the Tohono O’odham Nation. Evelyn Lopez, 50; Lisa Siquieros, 28; Angel Siquieros, 30; and Roberto Gonzalez, 33, were arrested as a result of this seven-month investigation led by the Tohono O’odham Police Department’s Anti-Violence Unit (AVU), and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

www.justice.gov/usao/az/press_releases/index.html

U.S. Court Approves Agreement Between Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, United States, State of Michigan, Isabella County and City of Mt. Pleasant to Settle Jurisdiction (Environment and Natural Resources Division)
On Nov. 23, 2010, Judge Thomas L. Ludington, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, approved a settlement of Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan and United States v. Granholm, et al.  The settlement declares the entire Isabella Reservation to be Indian Country, resolving longstanding disputes over the boundaries and existence of the Isabella Reservation in south central Michigan.  The settlement also encompasses various  intergovernmental memoranda of agreement regarding the Indian Child Welfare Act, taxation, regulation, land use, revenue sharing and law enforcement jurisdiction that seek to resolve the manner in which the tribe, state, city of Mt. Pleasant and Isabella County operate on a day-to-day basis.

www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/November/10-enrd-1349.html

Idaho Man Pleads Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter (U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho)
U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced on Nov. 23, 2010, Joseph Michael Matt, Jr., 25, of Worley, Idaho, pleaded guilty in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to involuntary manslaughter.  According to the indictment, on Aug. 18, 2009, Matt and his passenger, William Davison, were driving on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation. Matt was under the influence of alcohol and methamphetamine and was speeding when he lost control of his vehicle.  The ensuing crash killed Davison. 

www.justice.gov/usao/id/public_info/public_info.html

South Dakota Man Indicted for Distributing Marijuana (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Pine Ridge, S.D., man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for distributing marijuana near Pine Ridge.  James Franco, 31, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 17, 2010, for distribution of a controlled substance. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on Nov. 23, 2010, and pleaded not guilty to the indictment.
               
www.justice.gov/usao/sd/Media.html

Wyoming Woman Sentenced for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury and Aiding and Abetting (U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming)
U.S. Attorney Christopher A. Crofts announced that on Nov. 22, 2010, Stephanie Brown, age 22, of Arapaho Wyoming, was sentenced for an assault that occurred on the Wind River Indian Reservation in December 2009.  Brown was sentenced to 12 months in prison, three years of supervised release, a $100.00 special assessment and ordered to pay $4,565.43 in restitution to the Indian Health Service.

www.justice.gov/usao/wy/pressrel/index.html

South Dakota Woman Sentenced on Drug Charges (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Mission, S.D., woman charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and distribution of a controlled substance was sentenced on Nov. 22, 2010, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.  Kaylee Folkers, 24, was sentenced to 70 months in custody, four years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment to the Victim Assistance Fund.  Folkers was indicted for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and distribution of a controlled substance by a federal grand jury on April 7, 2010. The charge relates to the conspiracy and distribution of a controlled substance on or about and between Jan. 31, 2009, and April 7, 2010.  Folkers pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance on Aug. 19, 2010.
               
www.justice.gov/usao/sd/Media.html

South Dakota Man Pleads Guilty to Assault Charge (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Matthew Hawk Bear, 25, of McLaughlin, S.D., appeared in Aberdeen, S.D., before U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann on Nov. 22, 2010, and pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon.  The charge relates to the assault of a McLaughlin resident with a motor vehicle in December 2007.
               
www.justice.gov/usao/sd/Media.html

South Dakota Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing Minor (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Walter Chasing Hawk, Jr., 40, of Wakpala, S.D., appeared before U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann on Nov. 22, 2010, and pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual abuse. The charge stems from the sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12 in Corson County, S.D., in 1999.
               
www.justice.gov/usao/sd/Media.html

South Dakota Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse, Aiding and Abetting (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Travis Weasel, 30, of Bullhead, S.D., appeared before U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann on Nov. 22, 2010, and pleaded guilty to sexual abuse and aiding and abetting.  The charge stems from the sexual abuse of an individual in Bullhead in November 2008.
               
www.justice.gov/usao/sd/Media.html

South Dakota Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing Child (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Monty Craig Green Leaf, 22, of McLaughlin, S.D., appeared before U.S.  District Judge Charles B. Kornmann on Nov. 22, 2010, and pleaded guilty to a superseding information that charged him with sexual contact with a child by the use of force.  The charges relate to an incident that occurred near Little Eagle, S.D., between December 2009 and January 2010, where the defendant had sexual contact with a female child who was under the age of 12.
               
www.justice.gov/usao/sd/Media.html

North Dakota  Sentenced for Bar Burglary (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Nov. 22, 2010, Jeremy D. Will, 23, of Fort Rice, N.D., was sentenced before U.S. District Court Senior Judge Patrick A. Conmy on a charge of burglary. Will pleaded guilty to the charge on Sept. 2, 2010.  Judge Conmy sentenced Will to three years and one month in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Will was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund and $6,803.32 in restitution. On May 19, 2010, around 4:30 a.m., Will entered the T Bar 3 near Cannon Ball, N.D., by prying open the entry door with crow bars. Will stole liquor, a television, money, and other items from inside the building.

www.justice.gov/usao/nd/pressreleases/index.html

Idaho Woman Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter (U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho)
U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced on Nov. 22, 2010, Andrea M. George, 19, of Desmet, Idaho, was arraigned today on a charge of involuntary manslaughter. She was indicted last week by a federal grand jury sitting in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Her trial has been scheduled for Jan. 25, 2011.  According to the indictment, on April 19, 2010, George hit and killed Patrick Gourneau, a pedestrian, while driving her car on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation. The indictment alleges that she was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana at the time and was exceeding the posted speed limit.

www.justice.gov/usao/id/public_info/public_info.html

Idaho Man Pleads Guilty to Failure to Register as a Sex Offender (U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho)
U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced on Nov. 22, 2010, Bradley Moses DeLorme, 42, of Lapwai, Idaho, pleaded guilty in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to failure to register as a sex offender.  DeLorme was required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act because in June 2003, he was convicted in federal court for sexual abuse of a minor. According to the 2003 plea agreement, DeLorme sexually abused a boy over a three-year time period.

www.justice.gov/usao/id/public_info/public_info.html

South Dakota Man Sentenced for Sexual Abuse of a Minor (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Rosebud, S.D., man charged with sexual abuse of a minor was sentenced on Nov. 22, 2010, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.  Allen Good Shield, 21, was sentenced to 27 months in custody; five years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment.  Good Shield was indicted for sexual abuse of a minor by a federal grand jury in May 2010.  Good Shield knowingly caused a minor under the age of 16 to engage in sexual acts with him between July 2008 and July 2009 in Todd County.  In August 2010 he pleaded guilty to one count of the indictment.

www.justice.gov/usao/sd/Media.html