Menominee Indian Tribal Member Charged with Minor’s Death
| U.S. Attorney’s Office November 24, 2009 |
United States Attorney Michelle L. Jacobs announced today that Willie Hayes, a Menominee Indian Tribal Member, was indicted November 24, 2009, for involuntary manslaughter in the death of a 17-year-old minor. Hayes faces a maximum of eight years in prison if convicted.
Hayes was initially charged via a criminal complaint. The complaint alleges that Hayes was driving while intoxicated on the Menominee Indian Reservation on October 12, 2009, when his vehicle left the roadway and struck two trees adjacent to the roadway. When the vehicle struck the trees, one of the occupants of the vehicle, a 17-year-old female, was killed and the other passenger was seriously injured.
The case was investigated by the Menominee Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tammy Jo Hock.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.