PORTLAND, Ore. - Today, Monty Tewee, 21, of Warm Springs, was sentenced to 18 months in prison by U. S. District Judge Ancer L. Haggerty for assaulting his infant son. On November 7, 2011, the defendant pled guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Judge Haggerty ordered the defendant to spend three years on supervised release after he is released from the Bureau of Prisons. As conditions of supervised release, the defendant must participate in anger management counseling and parenting classes. Judge Haggerty ordered the defendant to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on May 24, 2012.

According to the prosecutor's statements in court, late at night on March 6, 2010, Tewee assaulted his five-week old infant by squeezing the baby's rib cage with traumatic force. Tewee's assault broke 8 of the baby's ribs in 10 places and lacerated the baby's liver. The extent of the baby's injuries required him to be air lifted from St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Oregon, to Oregon Health and Science University in Portland for specialized trauma care. The child has physically recovered from his injuries and is now under the jurisdiction of Warm Springs Children's Protective Services.

"Our office will work tirelessly with tribal law enforcement and social services to protect children," stated U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall. "Assaulting a child is inexcusable, and the defendant's prison sentence in this case is well-deserved."

The federal case was investigated by the Warm Springs Police Department and the FBI's office in Bend, Oregon. Assistant U. S. Attorneys Craig Gabriel and Leah Bolstad prosecuted the case.