John Henry Knows His Gun, Jr. Pleads Guilty in U.S. Federal Court

The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, on November 9, 2011, before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull, JOHN HENRY KNOWS HIS GUN, JR., a 21-year-old resident of Lame Deer, pled guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Sentencing has been set for February 8, 2012. He is currently detained.

In an offer of proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Vincent Carroll, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

On December 29, 2010, after a time of drinking, KNOWS HIS GUN and another individual got into a fight with the victim in Lame Deer, which is within the exterior boundaries of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. The other individual began punching the victim, and when the victim fell to the ground, KNOWS HIS GUN hit the victim in the head twice with an ax handle, splitting the victim’s head open.

The victim was transported to a hospital in Billings where he was treated for, among other things, a six- to eight-inch laceration to the back of his head caused by being struck with the ax handle. The victim’s injuries resulted in a substantial risk of death, and extreme physical pain.

KNOWS HIS GUN faces possible penalties of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years’ supervised release.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.