Red Lake Man Pleads Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter in Connection with 2009 Incident

MINNEAPOLIS—Yesterday in federal court, a 21-year-old Red Lake man pleaded guilty in connection with the death of a teenage girl following an automobile crash that occurred between Redby and Ponemah on August 28, 2009. Kyle Mitchell Lee Hardy pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter before United States District Court Chief Judge Michael J. Davis. Hardy was indicted on June 7, 2011.

In his plea agreement, Hardy admitted that on August 28, 2009, he drove a pickup truck within the boundaries of the Red Lake Indian Reservation while under the influence of alcohol. Hardy also admitted that when he failed to make a turn and drove the truck off the road, the two juveniles riding in the truck’s open bed were thrown out. One of them died while the other suffered a broken ankle.

According to police reports, Hardy, who was age 18 at the time, attended a party in Redby on that night. At approximately 1:00 a.m., he decided to drive to Ponemah, even though he had been drinking. He was driving alongside another vehicle when he approached a curve in the road, which he failed to negotiate, leading the vehicle off the road.

For his crime, Hardy faces a potential maximum penalty of eight years in federal prison. Judge Davis will determine his sentence at a future hearing. This case is the result of an investigation by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Steinkamp.

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.