MINNEAPOLIS—A brutal assault on the Red Lake Indian Reservation has led to a 105-month sentence for a 48-year-old man.
Joseph William Howard, Jr., was sentenced by United States District Judge John R. Tunheim yesterday in federal court in Fergus Falls for assaulting a man with an axe handle.
The victim suffered multiple fractures and had to have his left eye surgically removed as a result of the assault.
The assault occurred on January 13, 2012, at a Redby residence, where authorities were called to find the victim severely beaten and lacerated.
Police discovered blood splattered on the bed and walls in the room where the victim was staying, and a bloody axe handle was found behind the dryer in the utility room.
The case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad prosecuted the case, which was the result of a federal-jurisdiction reservation.
The Red Lake Indian Reservation is one of the few places where the FBI and local police work together to investigate crimes, which are then prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Howard pleaded guilty to the assault on May 29, 2012, and was indicted on February 22, 2012.
This is a stark reminder of the violence that can occur on reservations and the importance of collaboration between law enforcement agencies to bring perpetrators to justice.
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Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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