Bemidji Man Indicted for Sexual Contact with a Girl

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court, a 23-year-old Bemidji man was indicted for sexually abusing a girl under the age of 12. Reginald John Wind, Jr., was charged with one count of sexual contact with a child in connection with the crime.

The indictment alleges that on April 6, 2011, Wind engaged in sexual contact with the girl while on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. According to a law enforcement affidavit filed in the case, Wind allegedly made the contact with the girl in the backyard of a home.

If convicted, Wind faces a potential maximum penalty of life in prison for each charge. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Red Lake Tribal Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad.

Because the Red Lake Indian Reservation is a federal jurisdiction reservation, some of the crimes that occur there are investigated by the FBI in conjunction with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department. Those cases are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.