Roger Dean Snake Pleads Guilty in U.S. Federal Court

The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings on January 19, 2011, before Senior U.S. District Judge Jack D. Shanstrom, ROGER DEAN SNAKE, a 59-year-old resident of Lame Deer, pled guilty to two counts of abusive sexual contact. Sentencing has been set for April 20, 2011. He is currently detained.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia K. Hurd stated the government would have proved at trial the following:

On March 19, 2010, a child, then age 8, disclosed to a school counselor at St. Labre that she was touched in a sexual manner by her stepgrandfather, SNAKE. She reported the touching was of her private parts on numerous occasions at SNAKE's home in Muddy Cluster, within the exterior boundaries of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. She reported her belief that SNAKE was doing the same things to her older sister.

Both girls were interviewed by Dr. Earl Sutherland and both disclosed an ongoing pattern of sexual abuse by SNAKE at his home. They had normal physical exams but again disclosed the sexual abuse. The other child's abuse took place both before and after she turned 12. SNAKE is an enrolled member of the Hochunk Nation of Wisconsin.

While he denied the charges initially when questioned, Snake admitted during the change of plea hearing that he had, in fact, sexually abused both girls.

SNAKE faces possible penalties of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and lifetime supervision.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.