Charenton Man Pleads Guilty to Assault on Woman and Chitimacha Tribal Police Officer

LAFAYETTE, LA—United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that David Frederick, 38, of Charenton, Louisiana, pleaded guilty Wednesday before U.S. District Court Judge Richard T. Haik to assaulting a woman and a Chitimacha Tribal Police officer.

According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, on January 27, 2013, Frederick assaulted his girlfriend near her place of employment on Chitimacha tribal lands. After he was arrested and while being booked, Frederick attacked a Chitimacha Tribal Police officer and attempted to take his handgun. A second officer entered the struggle, and Frederick was subdued after pepper spray and a TASER were deployed. During the investigation, law enforcement agents learned that the defendant also assaulted his girlfriend on January 25, 2013, at her residence on the Chitimacha Tribal Reservation.

Frederick faces 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release for the assault of the Chitimacha tribal police officer. He also faces a maximum penalty of six months in prison, a $250,000 fine, and one year of supervised release for the assault within Indian Country count.

Jurisdiction in Indian Country is based upon the unique sovereign relationship between the federal government and Indian tribes. Congress has criminalized certain acts that take place in Indian Country, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is the agency that prosecutes the felony cases where either the defendant or the victim is an Indian or both the defendant and the victim are Indian. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also prosecutes cases involving misdemeanors where the defendant is a non-Indian and the victim is an Indian.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Chitimacha Tribal Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. McCoy is prosecuting the case.