Hualapai Man Found Guilty of Assault
| U.S. Attorney’s Office January 10, 2014 |
PHOENIX—Valance Ray Smith, Sr., 46, of Peach Springs, Arizona, a member of the Hualapai Tribe, was found guilty by a federal jury of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. The case was tried before U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow beginning on January 7, 2014. The defendant is being held pending sentencing, scheduled March 31, 2014.
The evidence at trial showed that Smith assaulted the victim on July 8, 2011 and September 29, 2012. During the July 8, 2011 assault, the defendant stabbed the victim in a domestic violence situation, causing her to sustain injuries. During the September 29, 2012 assault, the defendant beat the victim with a metal pipe causing her to suffer serious bodily injuries.
Convictions for assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hualapai Nation Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Christina J. Reid-Moore and Dimitra H. Sampson, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.