TRIBAL JUSTICE NEWS

WEEK OF OCT. 14, 2009

Associate Attorney General on Ending Violence Against Women (ASG)
On Oct. 14, 2009, Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli spoke at the 2009 Office on Violence Against Women National Rural Conference in New Orleans.  He discussed the ways that the Department of Justice is working with state and local law enforcement to end violence against women around the country.  In particular, Perrelli mentioned the Department’s commitment to fighting violence against women in Indian Country.

http://www.usdoj.gov/aag/speeches/2009/aag-speech-091014.html

Benedict Daniel Shoulderblade Sentenced in U.S. District Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)
Bill Mercer, U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana, announced that during a federal court session in Billings, Mont., on Oct. 14, 2009, Benedict Daniel Shoulderblade, a 28-year-old resident of Billings, was sentenced to 17 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release.  He was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to failure to register as a sexual offender.

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/last20.html

Three Defendants Sentenced in St. Croix Tribal Drug Investigation (U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin)
Stephen P. Sinnott, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that the three defendants were sentenced on Oct. 13, 2009, in the St. Croix tribal drug investigation: Diana Martin, 44, of Webster, Wis.; Margrette Cobb, 28, of Cumberland, Wis.; and Andrew Sonnenberg, 26, of Red Lake, Minn.  U.S. District Judge James T. Moody, a visiting judge from the Northern District of Indiana, sentenced Martin to nine years in prison, Cobb to more than 13 years in prison, and Sonnenberg to more than 17 years in prison for their role in distributing crack cocaine on St. Croix tribal lands from approximately January 2001 through September 2008.

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/wiw/Press/October%2013,%202009%20-%20Diana%20Martin,%20Margrette%20Cobb,%20and%20Andrew%20Sonnenberg%20Sentenced.pdf

John Joseph Takes Horse Pleads Guilty in U.S. Federal Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)
Bill Mercer, U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana, announced that during a federal court session in Billings on Oct. 6, 2009, before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull, John Joseph Takes Horse, a 20-year-old resident of Lodge Grass, Mont., pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.  Sentencing is set for Jan. 7, 2010.  On Feb. 20, 2009, the Bureau of Indian Affairs was contacted about a fatality accident near Lodge Grass on the Crow Indian Reservation.  The deceased female victim, A.R., was lying on the ground by the car.  The driver, Takes Horse, as well as the other two passengers had already fled the scene.  After interviewing Takes Horse and the surviving passengers, the investigators learned that all occupants of the car had been drinking.  Takes Horse reached down to change the radio station and swerved, causing the crash.  A.R. died at the scene and one of the other passengers suffered neck and back fractures.

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/20091006154244.html

Shane Michael Sandcrane Pleads Guilty in U.S. Federal Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)
Bill Mercer, U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana, announced that during a federal court session in Billings on Oct. 6, 2009, before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull, Shane Michael Sandcrane, a 21-year-old resident of Ashland, Mont., pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second degree murder.  Sentencing is set for Jan. 7, 2010.  The Bureau of Indian Affairs received a report that an adult female was missing.  An investigation led to three people, including Sandcrane, who murdered the victim on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.  Sandcrane faces possible penalties of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release.

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/20091006151424.html