Weston Man Pleads Guilty to Assault of a Tribal Member
Jeffery Dean Hawkins Pleads Guilty and Is Sentenced for a Domestic Violence Assault on an Enrolled Member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

PORTLAND, OR—Jeffery Dean Hawkins, 51, of Weston, Oregon, pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Sullivan. Hawkins, a non-Indian, admitted to assaulting a female enrolled tribal member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR).

According to the prosecutor's statements in court, in 2010 and 2011, Hawkins and the victim were dating and had a domestic relationship. However, in the early morning hours of January 6, 2011, Hawkins attacked the victim by striking her three times in the face with a closed fist. The assault occurred on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the victim suffered a bloody nose and lip when Hawkins struck her. In the interest of privacy, the U.S. Attorney's Office is not disclosing the name of the victim in this case.

Hawkins was arrested by the Umatilla Tribal Police Department on January 6, 2011, immediately following the assault. Hawkins was subsequently released, but he was re-arrested on February 8, 2011, and he has remained in federal custody since that time. Today, Judge Sullivan imposed a "time-served" sentence of imprisonment on Hawkins, which totals approximately three months in prison.

"Violence against Tribal Nations women is very high and jurisdictional concerns play a part in those numbers," said Desireé Allen-Cruz, the Family Violence Services Program Manager for CTUIR. "Partnership between the Tribe, FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office in this case has enhanced the safety for victims of intimate partner crimes and accountability of those causing the fear, intimidation, pain, and injuries."

The case was investigated by the Umatilla Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Pendleton, Oregon. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Gabriel prosecuted the case.