Assault on Indian Reservation

Man Indicted for Assault on Indian Reservation


May 20, 2010 - Gizhep Gimiwon Pego, 20, of Mount Pleasant, was indicted on May 12, 2010, by a federal grand jury in Bay City, Michigan for assault with intent to commit great bodily harm and assault with a dangerous weapon with the intent to do bodily harm, United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today.

McQuade was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge, Andrew G. Arena, Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The indictment charges that on March 31, 2010, Pego, a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Nation, assaulted the victim on the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Reservation in Isabella County, Michigan. During the incident, it is alleged that Pego knocked the victim to the ground and repeatedly kicked him in the head until the police arrived on the scene. On May 19, 2010, Pego was ordered to be held without bond until trial. If convicted as charged, Pego faces up to 10 years in prison.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated by the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Police and special agents of the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roy Kranz.