Red Lake Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Man

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court, a 19-year-old Red Lake man pleaded guilty to assaulting a man inside a home located on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. Micah James Waybenais pleaded guilty to one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Waybenais, who was indicted on October 10, 2012, entered his plea before United States District Court Judge John R. Tunheim.

In his plea agreement, Waybenais admitted that on September 11, 2012, he struck the victim with his hands and feet and dragged the victim back into a bedroom after tying speaker wire around his neck. The victim’s injuries included a potentially life-threatening laceration that ran from ear to ear on his neck, requiring hospitalization.

For his crime, Waybenais faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Judge Tunheim will determine his sentence at a future hearing, yet to be scheduled. This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Red Lake Tribal Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clifford B. Wardlaw.

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.