Irving Spotted Eagle, Jr. Sentenced in U.S. District Court
| U.S. Attorney’s Office September 27, 2013 |
The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on September 26, 2013, before Chief U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen, Irving Spotted Eagle, Jr., a 27-year-old resident of Billings and an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe of Indians, was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 21 months
- Special assessment: $100
- Supervised release: Three years
Spotted Eagle was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
In an offer of proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura B. Weiss, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On November 12, 2011, Spotted Eagle was so angry that S.T. would not return his amorous advances that he pinned her against a wall in his house and repeatedly punched her until his knuckles started to bleed. As she tried to flee the house, Spotted Eagle grabbed S.T. by the hair and continued assaulting her. He did not stop until a neighbor began yelling at him to stop. S.T. was transported to the hospital, where she was treated for a concussion, nasal bone fracture, and blunt force trauma to her face.
The assault occurred within the exterior boundaries of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the “truth in sentencing” guidelines mandate that he will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, he does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for “good behavior.” However, this reduction will not exceed 15 percent of the overall sentence.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Blackfeet Law Enforcement.