Six Wolf Point residents sentenced to prison for roles in kidnapping, assault of girl on Fort Peck Indian Reservation

GREAT FALLS  — Six Wolf Point residents convicted in the kidnapping and assault of a girl on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in 2021 were sentenced this month to prison terms for their roles in the attack, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

All six of the defendants pleaded guilty earlier to kidnapping an individual under 18. All defendants initially faced a mandatory minimum of 20 years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to life of supervised release. At the time of their sentencing hearings, however, they were eligible for sentences below the mandatory minimum.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

“This case is every parent’s worst nightmare. A Native American girl was lured out of her home, beaten, kidnapped, and left for dead in an open field on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said. “Our office stands with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s movement, seeking to ensure that Native women and girls are protected and that perpetrators of crimes like these are held accountable. I would like to personally thank law enforcement and the Fort Peck community for their help and quick actions. Without their efforts, this case easily could have resulted in the senseless death of a child on the reservation.”

Today, the court sentenced Patti Jo Annunciata Mail, 23, the sixth and remaining defendant, to 42 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

The government requested a sentence of 168 months for Mail. The sentencing guideline range for Mail was 87 months to 108 months.

Co-defendant Cheri Cruz Granbois, 21, was sentenced on June 15, and co-defendants Dylan Troy Jackson, 20; Elmarie Amelia Weeks, 22; Kaylee Jade Jackson 19; and Lavanchie Patricia Goodbird, 30, were sentenced on June 14.

The five co-defendants were sentenced as follows:

• Cheri Cruz Granbois was sentenced to 58 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The government requested a sentence of 185 months in prison, which was within Granbois’ guideline range of 168 months to 210 months.

• Dylan Jackson was sentenced to 55 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The government requested a sentence of 180 months in prison for Dylan Jackson, whose sentencing guideline range was 108 months to 135 months.

• Elmarie Amelia Weeks was sentenced to 49 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The government requested a sentence of 170 months for Weeks, whose sentencing guideline range was 108 months to 135 months.

• Kaylee Jade Jackson was sentenced to 45 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The government requested a sentence of 160 months in prison for Kaylee Jackson, whose sentencing guideline range was 87 months to 108 months in prison.

• Lavanchie Patricia Goodbird, 30, was sentenced to 41 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The government requested a sentence of 140 months in prison for Goodbird, whose sentencing guideline range was 108 months to 135 months.

The government alleged in court documents that on Sept. 15, 2021, Granbois, seeking revenge on the victim, a 15-year-old identified as Jane Doe, recruited others to help him exact that end. Saying the victim had wronged him, Granbois paid Kaylee Jackson money to lure Jane Doe outside of her house in Wolf Point so she could be assaulted. That evening, after drinking, Goodbird drove the group to the victim’s house. When Jane Doe came out, the situation escalated. Some of the individuals in the group assaulted the victim in her front yard. When eyewitnesses yelled that they were going to call the police, some of individuals forced Jane Doe into the vehicle and drove her to a vacant field where the assault continued.

The government alleged that during the assault, Granbois directed others as to when and who could assault the victim and directed others to take items from Jane Doe, including a cell phone that could have been used to report the kidnapping. An eyewitness to the assault in the field described the victim screaming and then going silent. The eyewitness thought Jane Doe had been murdered. The victim suffered serious injuries.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan G. Weldon and Wendy A. Johnson prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Peck Law Enforcement, Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office and Wolf Point Police Department conducted the investigation.

XXX