Jury convicts Browning man of rape, sexual abuse of two women

GREAT FALLS—A jury today convicted a Browning man of sexually assaulting two women on the Blackfeet Reservation in 2018, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

A jury found Alphonse Bird, 82, guilty of one count of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of sexual abuse. The jury acquitted Bird of a second count of aggravated sexual abuse. The trial began on Monday.

Bird faces a maximum of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Brian Morris ordered Bird to report to custody on Jan. 31 and set sentencing for May 21.

“Mr. Bird posed a serious danger to women in the community. We know that Native American women face too much violence, including sexual violence, and it must stop. Those who prey on women will face prosecution to the full extent of the law. I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley, the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services for their work investigating and prosecuting this case,” U.S. Attorney Alme said.

The prosecution presented evidence at trial that on Sept. 15, 2018, the first victim approached a Blackfeet Law Enforcement officer near the Town Pump in Browning and reported that Bird had just raped her. Bird had picked her up near the Blackfeet Care Center and she thought he was giving her a ride home. Instead, Bird drove toward East Glacier Park, parked the vehicle and raped her. The victim couldn’t get Bird to stop until she got sick. He dropped her off near Advanced Towing and witnesses helped her. The victim promptly reported the assault and cooperated with the investigation.

In the second assault, a witness called law enforcement on Nov. 4, 2018 to report an incident she had just observed south of Browning in which a vehicle was parked on the side of the road. The witness pulled up to the passenger side to see if the occupants needed assistance. Bird was in the driver’s seat and the victim was a passenger. The victim attempted to sit up but was unable to do so. Bird drove away. The witness tried to follow but could not keep up and called law enforcement. A law enforcement officer located the vehicle and when she approached, she saw Bird, who had his right arm in a sling and was putting a glove on his left hand. Bird said he was bringing his passenger home and was just turning around.

The victim told the officer that Bird had picked her up and she thought he was going to take her home. The victim was intoxicated and had trouble recounting what happened, but said Bird sexually assaulted her despite telling him to stop. The victim said Bird kept telling her she was going to be okay.

DNA analysis linked Bird to evidence collected from both of the victims.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Blackfeet Law Enforcement.