Porcupine Man Pleads Guilty to Assault with a Dangerous Weapon

BISMARCK, ND—United States Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that Elmer Flying Horse, 25, of Porcupine, North Dakota, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon in United States District Court.

On March 31, 2011, Flying Horse and other people gathered to celebrate Flying Horse’s birthday. Flying Horse and the victim began to argue during the evening, and Flying Horse eventually used a kitchen knife to stab the victim three times in the upper back and at least one time in the head. The victim required medical treatment for a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and a punctured lung.

The charge of assault with a dangerous weapon carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in a federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Indian Affairs—Standing Rock Agency

Sentencing for Flying Horse has been scheduled for September 12, 2011, in United States District Court in Bismarck, North Dakota, at 9:00 a.m.

Assistant United States Attorney Gary Delorme is prosecuting the case.