Joseph Wayne Cree Medicine Sentenced In U.S. District Court

The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on January 8, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen, JOSEPH WAYNE CREE MEDICINE, a 28-year-old resident of Browning, appeared for sentencing. CREE MEDICINE was sentenced to a term of:

• Prison: 35 months

• Special Assessment: $200

• Supervised Release: 3 years

CREE MEDICINE was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to two (2) counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

On January 27, 2012, in the early morning hours, CREE MEDICINE went to the residence of P.M.F., which is located in Browning and within the exterior boundaries of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. CREE MEDICINE went there because his ex-girlfriend, T.R.M., was staying there. Upon arrival, CREE MEDICINE began to argue with T.R.M. P.M.F. exited her room and asked what was causing all of the ruckus.

CREE MEDICINE then began assaulting P.M.F. Specifically, CREE MEDICINE knocked P.M.F. to the ground and began kicking her. P.M.F. begged CREE MEDICINE to stop. CREE MEDICINE eventually did, but turned back to T.R.M. He punched T.R.M. in the face and ripped a clump of hair from her head.

Both P.M.F. and T.R.M. went to the hospital. Upon arrival, both P.M.F. and T.R.M. described their pain level as a ten, which is the worst pain on the scale of one to ten. Dr. Bashir Sheikh prescribed hydrocodone to P.M.F. for the treatment of her pain. T.R.M. received a shot of Toradol the following morning. Toradol is a drug used for pain and is typically given to patients after surgery.

P.M.F. had cuts on her inner lip, bleeding, and severe bruising around her mouth, legs, and arms. A tooth of P.M.F. was also loose. T.R.M. had blood running down the side of her face from the location where the clump of hair had been ripped from her scalp. Additionally, the face, right eye, and lip of T.R.M. were bleeding and swollen. All of the above injuries were caused by CREE MEDICINE assaulting P.M.F. and T.R.M.

CREE MEDICINE informed law enforcement that by the early morning hours of January 27, 2012, he drank, along with another individual, two liters of Black Velvet and started to drink a half-gallon of whiskey.

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

The investigation was conducted by a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Blackfeet Law Enforcement.