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Informational: Federal Court Arraignment
The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on March 2, 2011, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Strong, the following individual was arraigned:
RONDA BIRD, a 27-year-old resident of Browning, appeared on a charge of involuntary manslaughter. She is currently released on special conditions. If convicted of this charge, BIRD faces possible penalties of 8 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 3 years supervised release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Weiss is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation was conducted by a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Montana Highway Patrol.
The defendant pled not guilty to the charge.
The charge, an indictment, information or complaint, is merely an accusation and all persons named as defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. A pre-trial conference and a trial date will be set and the United States will be required to prove the allegations set forth in the indictment beyond a reasonable doubt.