Red Lake Man Indicted for Assaulting a Woman with a Shovel

MINNEAPOLIS—A 25-year-old Red Lake man was recently charged in a federal indictment for allegedly assaulting a woman with a shovel while on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. On March 20, 2012, Myron Lee Jones, Jr. was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Earlier today in Duluth, Jones made his initial appearance in federal court.

The indictment alleges that on August 23, 2009, Jones assaulted the woman without just cause. He allegedly struck the victim in the back of the head, which required approximately 20 interior and exterior stitches.

If convicted, Jones faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each count. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad.

Because the Red Lake Indian Reservation is a federal-jurisdiction reservation, some of the crimes that occur there are investigated by the FBI in conjunction with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department. Those cases are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.