Federal Jury Convicts Ponemah Man for Strangling a Woman

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today, a jury in federal court in Duluth found a 47-year-old Ponemah man guilty of strangling a woman while on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. Following a three-day trial, the jury convicted Terry Dean Iceman on one count of strangulation. Iceman was indicted on November 13, 2013.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on July 18, 2013, Iceman assaulted the victim by strangling and attempting to strangle her. For his crime, Iceman faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. United States District Chief Judge Michael J. Davis will determine his sentence at a future hearing, yet to be scheduled.

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. Attorneys Manda M. Sertich and 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.

Violence against American Indian women occurs at epidemic rates. In 2005, Congress found that one in three American Indian women is raped during her lifetime, and American Indian women are nearly three times more likely to be battered during their lives than Caucasian women.

The U.S. Justice Department is taking steps to increase engagement, coordination, and action relative to public safety in tribal communities, including the creation of the Violence Against Women Federal and Tribal Prosecution Task Force. This task force will explore current issues raised by professionals in the field and recommend “best practices” in prosecution strategies involving domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

To learn more about the Justice Department’s Tribal Safety program, visit http://www.justice.gov/tribal/.