Fort Totten Man Pleads Guilty to Assault on a Federal Officer Resulting in Bodily Injury

GRAND FORKS—U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on August 27, 2012, Brandt Richard Yankton, a/k/a Brandt Richard Jetty, of Fort Totten, North Dakota, pleaded guilty before United States District Court to a charge of assault on a federal officer resulting in bodily injury.

Yankton, 24, pleaded guilty to biting the right forearm of Bureau of Indian Affairs Chief of Police, Raymond Cavanaugh, while Chief Cavanaugh was arresting Yankton for a traffic violation. The incident occurred in April 2012 on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation.

The charge of assault on a federal officer resulting in bodily injury carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fort Totten Police Department.

Sentencing for Yankton has been scheduled for November 15, 2012, in U.S. District Court in Fargo, North Dakota, at 11:15 a.m.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Janice M. Morley is prosecuting the case.