Lincoln Man Sentenced for Assaulting and Resisting Federal Officer

MINOT—U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on April 23, 2012,Benjamin L. Gange, 33, of Lincoln, North Dakota, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland on a charge of assaulting and resisting a federal officer. Gange pleaded guilty to the charge on January 12, 2012.

Judge Hovland sentenced Gange to serve three years and five months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Gange was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund.

On August 14, 2010, an agent with the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol was assigned to assist local law enforcement officers in Ward County, North Dakota because of the Minot flood event. The agent along with Minot Police Department officers received a call regarding a reckless driver. Upon arriving in the area, the officers located an unoccupied vehicle with the engine running. The officers began to search for the driver of the vehicle and were directed to a nearby area by a resident who had observed the driver run off. The officers located Gange walking along a row of bushes and made contact with him. Gange’s hands and face were full of blood, and he smelled of alcoholic beverages. When the officers attempted to question Gange, he fled on foot. The agent was one of the officers involved in the pursuit of Gange. When the officers caught Gange, he resisted their efforts to detain him. Gange punched the agent in the face and head multiple times. The officers took Gange to the ground. In the process, the agent suffered a severe injury to his lower back requiring hospitalization and rehabilitation.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Volk prosecuted the case.