Dunseith Man Found Guilty of Child Sexual Abuse

BISMARCK—Acting United States Attorney Lynn Jordheim announced that on July 28, 2010, Deven J. Poitra, 18, of Dunseith, North Dakota, was found guilty by a federal jury on charges of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and failure to update sex offender registration. United States District Court Judge Daniel L. Hovland presided.

On December 20, 2009, a juvenile was playing in the basement of a house in the Dunseith area. Poitra entered the room, picked up the juvenile and carried the juvenile to a laundry room in the house, where Poitra sexually assaulted the juvenile.

Poitra was required to register as a sex offender for a previous April 2007 offense of gross sexual imposition from Rolette County, North Dakota. Poitra violated the sex offender registration requirements, when he moved to the victim’s home in Dunseith without notifying law enforcement authorities.

The charge of aggravated sexual abuse of a child carries a 30-year minimum mandatory and statutory maximum of life in prison and $250,000 fine. The charge of failure to update sex offender registration carries a 10 year minimum mandatory and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs - Turtle Mountain Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Sentencing for Poitra has been scheduled for October 25, 2010, in United States District Court in Bismarck, North Dakota, at 2:00 p.m.

Assistant United States Attorney Brandi Sasse Russell is prosecuting the case.