The United States Attorney’s Office
announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls on June 4, 2012
before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, Shaneal Bull Child, a 22-year-old
resident of Browning and an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe, appeared
for sentencing. Bull Child was sentenced to a term of:
■Prison: 44 months
■Special assessment: $100
■Supervised release: three years
Bull Child was sentenced after a federal
district court trial in which she was found guilty of assault with a dangerous
weapon. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Weldon prosecuted the case for the United
States.
At trial, the following evidence and
testimony was presented to the jury.
On April 9, 2011, Blackfeet Tribal law
enforcement officers responded to a 911 call for assistance in Browning, which
is within the exterior boundaries of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The
reporting party told the dispatcher that an individual had been hit and run
over by a truck. An officer arrived on the scene and met with the reporting
party and attended to the victim until emergency personnel responded.
The witness testified that he was with
the victim at the time of the incident. He also testified to having watched the
truck strike the victim and that he observed the truck drive away.
The officer went to the residence where
the vehicle was found parked. Bull Child answered the door, along with another
individual, who said he was the owner of the truck.
Bull Child was arrested and without any
prompting from the officer, Bull Child stated, “My boyfriend [the owner of the
vehicle] was not with me. I was driving the truck when I hit the girl walking;
my boyfriend was here at his house.” Upon arrival at the jail, a breathalyzer
test was administered with a result of .095.
Bull Child was then taken to the
hospital to care for a cut on her head. While at the hospital, she again
admitted to striking the victim with the vehicle.
When questioned later by a FBI agent,
Bull Child again admitted hitting the victim with the truck and stated that the
victim was walking on the sidewalk at the time. Bull Child said she did it
because she was angry with the victim, who was earlier seen in her house
hugging her boyfriend, and because the victim had thrown beer bottles at her.
The victim testified that she had been
drinking at Bull Child’s boyfriend’s house on the night prior to the incident.
The next morning the victim and the witness were still at the home, and when
everyone was waking, Bull Child aggressively approached the victim. There was
an argument, and Bull Child tried to hit the victim, so the victim threw an open
beer bottle she had in her hand at Bull Child. The victim then testified that
she left the residence home and was walking home. She stated she only
remembered being hit from behind and falling forward on the ground. She
remembered it was a blue extended-cab Chevy pickup. She could not see who was
driving at the time.
The victim was transported by ambulance
and examined at the Blackfeet Community Hospital. She did lose consciousness,
had swelling on her face where she hit the ground, experienced right leg pain,
and had scrapes/abrasions on both hands.
Because there is no parole in the
federal system, the “truth in sentencing” guidelines mandate that Bull Child
will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system,
Bull Child does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for “good
behavior.” However, this reduction will not exceed 15 percent of the overall
sentence.
The investigation was a cooperative
effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Blackfeet Tribal Law
Enforcement.
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