Fort Yates Man Pleads Guilty to Assaults

BISMARCK—U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on July 9, 2012, Tarrell Little Bear, 28, of Fort Yates, North Dakota, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to charges of domestic assault by a habitual offender and assault with a dangerous weapon.

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On September 29, 2011, Little Bear assaulted a woman by striking her numerous times in the face with his fist. Little Bear had been convicted of two prior domestic violence assaults in Standing Rock Tribal Court. The charge of domestic assault by a habitual offender carries a statutory maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

On August 14, 2011, Little Bear assaulted a man by striking him in the face, head, and chest. During the assault, Little Bear kicked the man in the face and head while wearing shoes. The charge of assault with a dangerous weapon carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

These cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs-Standing Rock Agency, Standing Rock Tribal Prosecutor’s Office, and Standing Rock Tribal Court.

Sentencing for Little Bear on both of these cases has been scheduled for October 12, 2012, in U.S. District Court in Bismarck at 1:00 p.m. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Delorme is prosecuting these cases.