Ponemah Man Indicted for Stabbing Another Indian

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court, a 21-year-old Ponemah man was indicted for allegedly stabbing another Indian while on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. The indictment charges Randall Dean Jones with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon.

The indictment alleges that on June 18, 2011, Jones, an Indian, stabbed the other man without just cause. According to a law enforcement affidavit filed in the case, police were called to a residence following an assault. The victim, who was stabbed several times, was taken to a Fargo, North Dakota hospital. Jones allegedly called the victim out to the roadway and allegedly punched the victim before eventually stabbing him.

If convicted, Jones faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Clifford B. Wardlaw.

Because the Red Lake Indian Reservation is a federal-jurisdiction reservation, some of the crimes that occur there are investigated by the FBI in conjunction with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department. Those cases are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.