Seiling Man Sentenced to Five Years for Domestic Violence in Indian Country

OKLAHOMA CITY – JAMES DEAN LAMAR LaFOUNTAIN, 25, of Seiling, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for wounding his wife and later calling her from jail to instruct her not to testify against him, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing.

According to a two-count superseding indictment, LaFountain assaulted his wife with a knife with the intent to do bodily harm and also attempted to strangle and suffocate her, all on November 25, 2018.  The case was charged in federal court because LaFountain is an Indian and the alleged crimes took place in Indian Country.  Originally arrested on tribal charges, LaFountain has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since January 3, 2019.

On April 25, 2019, LaFountain pleaded guilty to a two-count superseding information.  At his plea hearing, he admitted he held his wife down and wounded her in Indian Country on November 25, 2018.  He also admitted he committed the crime of tampering with a witness by calling his wife from jail in an attempt to get her not to testify against him.

At sentencing today, U.S. District Judge Charles Goodwin sentenced LaFountain to five years in the Bureau of Prisons, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  The court took into account reports that LaFountain, while intoxicated, put a knife to his wife’s throat, attempted to strangle her, and threatened their children.   The court also considered episodes of LaFountain’s escalating physical violence toward his wife, as well as his having placed numerous phone calls to her in early 2019 with instructions not to testify against him.

This sentence is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, with assistance from the Dewey County Sheriff’s Office.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Cárdenas.

Reference is made to court filings for further information.