Allan Charles Lawson Pleads Guilty in U.S. Federal Court
| U.S. Attorney’s Office December 05, 2011 |
The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls on December 5, 2011, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, ALLAN CHARLES LAWSON, a 41-year-old resident of Browning, pled guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Sentencing has been set for March 22, 2012. He is currently detained.
In an offer of proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura B. Weiss, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On September 18, 2010, within the exterior boundaries of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, LAWSON assaulted a Native American woman, resulting in serious bodily injury.
On the night of the offense, LAWSON believed the victim had commissioned a third party to rape him and his brother. LAWSON admitted to using methamphetamine prior to the offense. LAWSON and the victim had been providing in-home care to LAWSON’s disabled brother at the victim’s house after the brother became handicapped in an ATV accident which left him in a severely disabled state.
On the night of September 18, 2010, the victim came home from church and encountered LAWSON, who was excited to show her marks on the wall he claimed were from a stun gun. The victim explained to him that the marks were from cigarette smoke in the house that had settled on the wall around a dresser the two had moved a few days prior. The victim told LAWSON he was speaking nonsense and that she needed his help to feed LAWSON’s brother.
The two entered the living room to feed the brother. The victim was on one side of the recliner; LAWSON was on the other. The victim noticed that LAWSON was suddenly very quiet. LAWSON then came across the chair and began repeatedly punching the victim in the face.
When asked by law enforcement following the offense why his hands were bloody and cut, LAWSON responded it was from hitting the victim.
The victim was treated at the Blackfeet Community Hospital as well as the Kalispell Regional Medical Center for injuries suffered during the assault, which included a subarachnoid hemorrhage in the left parietal area and a left tripod fracture.
LAWSON faces possible penalties of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years’ supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.