Warm Springs Man Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Sexual Abuse of Two Minor Victims Victims Were Under the Ages of 12 and 16 at the Time of the Abuse

PORTLAND, OR—Bryson Sutterlee, 24, of Warm Springs, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor. In May 2009, a six-count indictment was returned by a federal grand jury, outlining Sutterlee’s sexual abuse of two minor females on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Sutterlee, who was arrested by federal agents subsequent to the indictment, is scheduled to be sentenced before the Honorable Ancer L. Haggerty on January 4, 2011. The plea agreement contemplates a sentence of 188 months in prison.

“Protecting children and families in Indian Country is a prime responsibility for this office,” said Dwight C. Holton, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “This kind of abuse leaves an indelible mark on the victims, and we have to put a stop to it.”

According to the indictment and the prosecutors’ statements in court, Sutterlee lived on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. While on the reservation, Sutterlee sexually abused two of his female relatives by force and without their consent. One of Sutterlee’s victims was under the age of 12 at the time of the abuse; the other victim was under the age of 16.

This investigation was conducted by the Warms Springs Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Billy J. Williams and Craig J. Gabriel.