Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Billings, on January 29, 2009, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, CHARLES GOOD SOLDIER JR., a 29-year-old resident of Poplar, appeared for sentencing. GOOD SOLDIER was sentenced to a term of:

• Prison: 63 months

• Special Assessment: $100

• Supervised Release: 3 years

GOOD SOLDIER was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

Shortly before noon on March 22, 2006, as a male individual was leaving his residence in Poplar, he heard a man screaming "call the cops" and "someone's been stabbed." He went next door and asked the person screaming who had been stabbed. The screaming person identified the stabbing victim.

The male individual saw the victim walk out of the residence holding his neck. The victim's clothing appeared to be covered in blood. Shortly thereafter, GOOD SOLDIER walked out of the home and collapsed in front of the door. The screaming person yelled at GOOD SOLDIER, "you stabbed Blackie" and ran over and began to kick GOOD SOLDIER as he lay on the ground. The male individual separated the two men and called dispatch for an ambulance.

The victim was taken by ambulance to Poplar Community Hospital where an examination revealed six stab wounds ranging from two to three centimeters in depth. The treating physician would have testified that the neck and abdominal wounds created a substantial risk of death due to potential blood loss.

When GOOD SOLDIER was interviewed, he stated that he was too drunk to remember much about the incident. He remembered being in a residence located on the Fort Peck Reservation and getting into a fight with the victim. Although GOOD SOLDIER did not remember stabbing the victim, he admits that he is capable of stabbing someone when he is drunk. GOOD SOLDIER also admitted having told his grandmother shortly after the incident that he thought he stabbed the victim.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that GOOD SOLDIER will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, GOOD SOLDIER does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebekah J. French prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fort Peck Tribes Criminal Investigation Division.

 

 

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