Red Lake Man Pleads Guilty to Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury

MINNEAPOLIS—Today in federal court, a 25-year-old Red Lake man pleaded guilty to assaulting a Red Lake woman, which resulted in serious bodily injury to the woman. Michael James Jourdain pleaded guilty to one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Jourdain, who was indicted on April 16, 2012, entered his plea before United States District Judge Donovan W. Frank.

In his plea agreement, Jourdain admitted that on September 18, 2011, he assaulted a woman on the Red Lake Indian Reservation by kicking her repeatedly with his feet. His kicking resulted in serious bodily injury to the victim, who was transported to the hospital because she was coughing up blood and experiencing severe pain. She suffered a fractured rib as a result of Jourdain’s assault.

For his offense, Jourdain faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. Judge Frank will determine his sentence at a future hearing, not yet scheduled.

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 U.S. Attorney Clifford B. Wardlaw.

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.