Charenton Woman Pleads Guilty to Assault at the Chitimacha Tribal Reservation

LAFAYETTE, LA—United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that Tammy M. Krol, 42, of Charenton, Louisiana, entered a guilty plea Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge C. Michael Hill to assaulting a Chitimacha Tribal Reservation resident.

According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, on September 11, 2013, Krol struck a member of the Chitimacha Tribe at the victim’s residence. After arriving at the scene, police found Krol in a house. The occupant said Krol had entered the home without permission, struck him during a confrontation, and tried to take the victim’s prescription pills.

Krol faces up to a year in prison, a year of supervised release, and a $100,000 fine for assault by striking, beating, or wounding in Indian Country. A sentencing date was not set.

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. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes all felony and misdemeanor cases, arising in Indian Country, that are within the jurisdiction of this office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes cases, arising in Indian Country, involving felonies 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.

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